In corrections, there is often a complex posturing that is based on image and intimidation. It is a matter of survival. Such is the world that we work in. Therefore, it should come to no surprise that staff and offenders sometimes perceive the other as bullying.
To most, intimidation is the tool of the bully. But is it always bullying? Is aggression sometimes really assertion? Is there a difference between meeting issuing direction and coercion? Is it fair to use bully tactics on a bully? Read more…
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joebouchard Assessing the organization, Self Scrutiny, Staff relations
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It is inevitable. Nothing, it is said, stays the same. As any corrections professional knows, prisoner work assignments can be quite temporary. There are many reasons that prisoners will be moved from any given job assignment, including shifting institutional needs, prisoner transfers, and inmate requests for reclassification.
Termination also is another catalyst for change of job status. This occurs for a variety of causes. For example, prisoners caught smuggling while on assignment may be relieved of their duties.
In a broad sense, to smuggle is to move unauthorized goods in an illicit and stealthy manner. In corrections, there are four basic flows of bootleg traffic: Read more…
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joebouchard Contraband Control
Let’s face it, those who work in any segment of the criminal justice system need to know about criminal thinking. This is crucial vocational armor that takes the surprises out of many unusual behaviors that practitioners will witness in the field.
Is there a quick and easy way to get students talking about the many deviant behaviors? Can we make them more interested in the topic?
“The Anti-Socials” is a good introduction to anti-social thinking and behavior. Read more…
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joebouchard Training
“You have a twisted mind. But, that is a good thing.” That is not some cheesy line from a Cheesy 1980’s B-movie. It is a vocational truism. And it is the basis of this icebreaker.
A good way to jump start a module on security awareness is to give the following introduction. Read more…
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joebouchard Contraband Control, Training
Only one of them saw the way out of danger and tried to escape. She scaled the wall of the metal cylinder before the hot liquid won the battle. Yet, though she knew the way to safety, she could not go there. Others pulled her down. Perhaps they were panicking and did not know better. Maybe it was a sort of sick realization that they were all going to die. No matter how hard she tried, the crab could not leave the boiling pot. The other crabs pulled her down to an eventual collective death.
A colleague of mine once remarked that one does not have to place a lid on a boiling pot of live crabs. He told me that the crabs will pull each other down. While I do not know if this is true in all cases, I can acknowledge that it is an interesting concept. Read more…
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joebouchard Self Scrutiny, Staff relations
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What makes a leader? Are they born with natural ability to guide others? Or do all have an equal chance to learn and apply leadership fundamentals? Is leadership part innate ability and part acquired skills? Certainly, both sides of the nature or nurture argument have strong proponents. Like the classic chicken or egg question, this query may never be answered.
One thing is certain: One does not have to be high in the chain of command to guide others. Many corrections line staff have considerable influence on their peers. Their confidence, reputation, knowledge and hard work are some of the factors that make these de facto leaders an important commodity. Read more…
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joebouchard Staff relations, Training
(From Richard Lumb, Ph.D.)
My comments are a follow-up to Joe and Ron’s November 13, 2009 posting on the use and application of resilience tools to help moderate the impact of stress and the encounter with adversity or trauma that ranges from minor discomfort to mind and body wrenching crisis. Daily pressure is inevitable and we often ride waves of discomfort with accompanying emotions usually returning to a place of balance where coping takes place naturally. Read more…
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joebouchard Guest Author, Self Scrutiny, Staff relations
There is a very dangerous road in all corrections settings. This thoroughfare is known as Division Street.
It is not difficult to see that any prison or jail is very much like a city. The comparisons of services in either setting simply jump out at anyone who ponders this. There is a restaurant, a library, a police force, a medical center and housing units in each.
Let us delve a bit deeper. Some of the same street names surely exist in your city as do in a corrections setting. However, the street names in your city are actual while those in jails or prison don’t really exist. They are really models of behavior that we label in order to understand in a fuller manner. Read more…
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joebouchard Self Scrutiny, Staff relations
Recently, Institutional Training Officer Mike Plourde, developed a module called “Con Games”. “Con Games” addresses some of the ruses and manipulation that may be executed on corrections staff. He paired that with Joe Bouchard’s module “Wake up and Smell the Contraband”, encompassing the whys and hows of illicit activities inside the walls of corrections facilities. Part of that module which deals with trepidation because of manipulation is presented here. 
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joebouchard Guest Author, Self Scrutiny, Staff relations, Training
Prior to entering corrections, I was a steel worker. Al (a.k.a. “The Dog”) was my supervisor. He taught me a lot about interpersonal relations and surviving in a sometimes difficult environment. He did not necessarily speak these lessons, as he was more action-oriented than a verbal sort.
Ultimately, I was surprised about the applicability of those lessons when I moved to corrections.
Often, I apply them to the nebulous and confusing art of dealing with difficult personalities. There is also applicability when I engage in the frequently arduous task of gaining a better understanding of myself. Read more…
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joebouchard Assessing the organization, Inside Out, Self Scrutiny, Staff relations
