Police officers lock up the bad people, and correctional officers (COs) keep them locked up. Both sections of the criminal justice system, police and corrections, are engaged in the mission of public safety. When you see in the news that an arrest has been made, the police officer has fulfilled his part of the mission-keeping the public safe.
But it does not stop with the arrest. If the perpetrator does not bail out, or get released on personal recognizance, he or she goes to jail to await trial.
I have seen some arrestees cooperate, size up the situation, and go along with the instructions of correctional officers, obeying the rules and not causing trouble. This is especially true of inmates that have been incarcerated before or have spent time in prison. Many try to manipulate, and ‘con’ the COs. Only naïve COs trust an inmate. Many schemes involve inmates convincing COs that they love the CO, persuading staff, both sworn and non-sworn to bend the rules, engage in misconduct and smuggle in contraband. When these schemes are successful, the margin of safety inside the facility goes down.
Safety First
Safety is a vital topic that deserves a deeper look. I came across an article titled “Officer Safety in a Local Correctional Facility: Ten Steps to Keeping Officers Safe While Protecting Life and Property”, by corrections veteran Anthony Callisto, Jr., MA, CJM, retired Chief Deputy for the Onondaga County (Syracuse, NY) Sheriff’s Office Custody Department and former present of the American Jail Association. It contains some good advice.
Let’s discuss the Ten Steps:
- Recruitment, training, and retention of competent staff: Pay parity, where corrections officers are on the same pay level with police officers can help recruit good, competent personnel. I also advocate portraying corrections as a ‘noble profession,’ not just a steppingstone to police work. Look for mature people with good interpersonal and communication skills. Improve training, maintain standards, and emphasize the skills necessary to deal with inmates. These skills include communications, supervision (yes-COs are supervisors of people-try running a 40-bed unit), good people skills, multi-tasking, etc. And if good training is offered at the in-service level, combined with support from the ‘brass,’ hopefully officers will stay for a career. Good COs want to learn-and move up. Important topics include situational awareness, reading signs of violence, contraband, and escape prevention.
- Establishing appropriate control and maintaining interactive inmate supervision: Good control relies on sound perimeters and good technology. Make sure things are working, and staff is trained in how to use them. Interpersonal communication with inmates, listening to them and being approachable can reduce tension, remembering that most inmates just want to do their time and get out. Inmates may tell COs what is going on-because they do not want to get caught up in trouble. Being mobile and seeing what is going on promotes safety and being proactive about safety. Chief Callisto says to remember:
“[Correctional] officers who spend most of their time behind a desk are likely to have great control over the desk, but very little control over the inmates in the unit.”
- Implement a Sound Behavior-Based Classification System: If you want to be safe concerning problem inmates, look at their past behavior. Past behavior is one of the best predictors of future behavior. True, some inmates change and eventually realize that they will be in less trouble if they behave. However, many have a violent streak, have gang ties, and will resist authority. Classification is the ‘nerve center’ of the jail and should look carefully at inmates’ past behavior, mental state, recent behavior (especially in the first 3-5 days after being booked in), and criminal history. Screen carefully for suicidal ideation and the possibility of disruptive behavior. If an inmate is disruptive and assaultive, precautions such as restraints, two CO escorts and restrictive housing should be carefully considered.
- Have a Comprehensive Orientation Program for All Inmates: If trouble is brewing, you want the inmates to feel comfortable in coming to staff. Orientation methods can vary through tablets, kiosks, video, or live presentations from officers. COs must make it clear that staff are concerned about inmate safety, the consequences for bad behavior, and expectations for proper inmate behavior. Emphasize that communication between staff and inmates is a two-way street.
- Have meaningful programs and activities: The old saying that ‘idleness is the Devil’s Playground’ is true. Bad behavior is a result of idleness and boredom. Offering meaningful programs in substance abuse, work (trustees), counseling, anger management, religion, vocational skills, and education is beneficial. Some inmates do want to change and get out. Inmates have a lot of energy, and recreation can burn off both tension and stress.
- Have Effective and Progressive Staff Supervision and Facility Inspection: All supervisors, from the mid-level to the high ‘brass’ should inspect the facility, get around, see what is going on and talk to the line staff. Ensure that the line staff have good working knowledge of policies and procedures. And most importantly, all supervisors should be approachable. COs and non-sworn civilian staff should be heard when they voice issues that concern them, especially staff safety. This is crucial for good staff development and reducing staff stress.
- Vision and Goal Oriented Management: Correctional facilities do not run themselves, and if they did, there would be chaos. Management must have goals that balance inmate welfare and safety with officer safety. There should be consistency in operations and positive attitudes among staff. Security is the top priority, but if the ‘brass’ is supportive of inmate improvement and rehabilitation, how to accomplish that should be made clear.
- Focus on Security: Security is priority number one. Staff safety and inmate security is dependent on clear directions for staff and inmates, following procedures, maintaining security hardware (cameras, security doors, etc.) and situational awareness. Supervisors from one shift to another must steer staff in the right direction through orders, pass-on information, written directives, briefings (roll calls) and being nosy by walking around. Consequences of sloppy security must be made clear, including suspension, termination, demotion, and reassignment. Remedial training sessions are not to be taken lightly.
- Ensuring Humane Treatment of Inmates: Controlling inmates by being inhumane and harsh only breeds anger and resentment. If COs want to control inmates, and keep tension to a minimum, they must remember that corrections is a ‘people profession.’ Inmates need to feel that they are worthy of basic human respect, fair treatment, and dignity. Their rights are to be respected. Also, COs should stand up to corrupt and brutal COs; this includes letting supervisors know of staff wrongdoing, especially the ‘rogue’ COs and the ‘loose cannons on the deck.’
- Demanding Professionalism: Unprofessional officers make the facility less safe. Professionalism includes officers showing dedication to the job and the mission of the agency. Staff must be held accountable, with negative actions and shortcomings being addressed. COs must show integrity, knowing right from wrong, and ethics. Corrections is service-to the facility, its staff, the inmate population, and the community. In a correctional facility, there is an undercurrent of anger in the inmate population. They may be frustrated, anxious about their lives taking a downward trend, and seeing life pass them by. Unprofessional officers trigger this anger, which explodes outward towards other inmates and staff.
Let’s be realistic. No correctional facility is 100 percent safe. But professionalism among staff, integrity and maintaining a focus on security can go a long way in keeping staff and inmates safe as much as possible.
Reference:
Callisto, Anthony, Jr., MA, CJM. (2025, August/September). Officer Safety in a Local Correctional Facility: Ten Steps to Keeping Officers Safe While Protecting Life and Property. Managers’ Managers Report, Volume XXXI (No. 2), pp. 17, 18, 27-30.
1st Lt. Gary F. Cornelius retired from the Fairfax County, Virginia Office of the Sheriff after 27 years of service. His assignments included confinement, classification, work release, planning and policy development and jail programs. He taught corrections at George Mason University from 1986-2018. He teaches jail in-service classes throughout Virginia and has presented training for Lexipol and Justice Clearinghouse. He has authored several books on corrections, including Stressed Out: Strategies for Living and Working in Corrections, Third Edition (2024) from Carolina Academic Press and The High-Performance Correctional Facility: Lessons in Correctional Work, Leadership and Effectiveness (2022) from the Civic Research Institute. He resides in Williamsburg, Virginia.
|
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think