H1N1, economic woes, and wars fill our minds. As a public, we have so much on our collective plates. Yet this stress has been the status quo for so long. Add those concerns to the daily duties of any corrections professional. As a matter of course, all corrections staff face the possibility of grievances, litigation and assaults. Daily interaction with those who, quite frankly, are not easy to deal with is also a major stressor.
Certainly, we seem resilient enough to deal with the many challenges on and off the job. However, there is ample evidence that suggests we endure a cumulative, crippling harm due to stress. Read more…
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joebouchard Self Scrutiny, Training
It is here again. Happy Friday the 13th!!! We welcome you, day of superstition. We are not afraid. Well, most of us are not.
Friday the 13th comes and goes. On the face of it, the 13th is only a date between the 12th and 14th. Yet why does it represent a day of caution to many people? Read more…
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joebouchard Inside Out, Self Scrutiny
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Sometimes, the news can be unbelievable. For example, the horror on the campus of Virginia Tech in 2007 left us collectively numb. All of us were dropped into a state of disbelief by those atrocious killings. The air was thick with feelings of confusion and grieving. We felt the same last week when the horror at Fort Hood unfolded.
Unfortunately, other events come to mind as we cope with these tragedies. Even so, we are not wholly desensitized by large losses of lives such as Columbine and the events of 9/11. While these forms of terrorism have become a horrible part of our lives, they still rattle our sense of safety. Read more… |
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joebouchard Inside Out
The existence of contraband represents danger for all staff and prisoners in all facilities. This is the root of most corrections peril. The introduction of illicit goods in our institution facilitates escapes, compromises staff, and lowers morale to a dangerously low level. The existence of contraband also shatters the public’s perception of security.
This is how the problem of contraband impacts us all. There are so many problems that a contraband tracking committee could follow and help to mitigate. Read more…
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joebouchard Contraband Control
Bloody battles!
Betrayals!
Broken treaties!
Sneak attacks!
Shifting alliances!
Vast tracts of territory under contention!
These are components of an empire on the rise. From the Athenians to the Mongols to the British, the rise and fall of empires have provided us many historical examples of how large domains develop.
When looking at groups in the work place, the common clique stands out as a fascinating and divisive example of how we treat each other. Upon further inspection, the rise and fall of cliques bears many resemblances to the rise and fall of empires.
Read more…
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joebouchard Assessing the organization, Self Scrutiny, Staff relations
Think of the inexorably strong force of a whirl pool. If it has enough power, the vortex will pull anything from the surface of the water and plunge it beneath. It is inevitable that vacuums will be filled.
I don’t really know about the physics of black holes, tornadoes or any other sort of naturally occurring vacuum. But I have seen this in action in human interaction. Read more…
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joebouchard Assessing the organization, Self Scrutiny, Staff relations
I sit nervously near the scene of the incident mere moments after it occurred. As I write these notes, I am amazed at how unprepared we were.
The event was unexpected and discomforting, leaving four people nervous, clumsy, full of adrenaline, and confused. Notions of comfort and safety were shattered in an instant. A presence had breached our safe zone.
It sounds like this is some sort of post mortem of a crime, terrorist act or some sort of calamity. However, the source of the trepidation was a single brown bat. Read more…
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joebouchard What the...?!?
Developing our individual professionalism can seem endless. It is like climbing a very long stair case with no sight of the end.
What makes us do what we do on the job? Our performance rests on our personal professionalism. Read more…
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joebouchard Self Scrutiny
Despite the popular notion, contraband control is much more complex than officers serendipitously intercepting bootleg. At its most optimal state, it is a multileveled process of discovering the value and routing of illicit items. And, alert staff often discover surprising but pragmatic utilities of most common possessions. Read more…
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joebouchard Contraband Control
A note from Joe Bouchard:
What do Jails and Prisons have in common? The answers are as varied as the number of professionals who offer their wisdom. One thing that we can agree on is this: The experience of staff taken captive is one all should hear and consider. Our colleague from Kenton County Kentucky, Scott Colvin shares this thought provoking article with us.
“THE CAPTIVE’S HOUR”
FORMER LUCASVILLE HOSTAGE LARRY DOTSON BRINGS HIS STORY HOME TO KENTUCKY (AS PROMISED)
BY Chief Deputy G.S. Colvin, CJM, Kenton County, Kentucky
HEADLINES April 12th 1993: “Convicts siege Ohio Prison” “guards taken hostage at Lucasville”. These are but (2) headlines of the nation’s heralding that a hostage situation and prison takeover had developed at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF) in Lucasville Ohio, there was death, and mayhem –disaster and sadly there were (11) individual officers taken hostage, marking their first day of captivity of the longest Correctional Hostage situation in American history. Read more…
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joebouchard Guest Author, Training
