Anyone ever work in a prison? (small update pg 3)

[Briarmom]

I've never worked in a prison, but Briarmom has spent some time in one.







No, in all seriousness, I would not take a job in a prison. That would scare the jeebies out of me. Especially looking the way you do...and no, I'm not coming onto you, not that there would be anything wrong with that.

How did you know? The jig is up!

 

[LuvN~Travel]

I worked in one for about five weeks straight out of high school. It was a summer job updating prisoners records for all of the state prisons. (obviously before computers! ). It was a very eye opening job reading all of those records!
However, there was never any problem with the inmates while I was there that I knew of.
Kim

 

[grlpwrd]

I don't have experience working at a prison, but I do have some relatives who are felons who are there now or whom have been released. These relatives didn't commit violent crimes, but they are one's who committed crimes related to drugs.

I would rethink your decision... You have to remember that these people are criminals and there is a certain prison culture and mentality you have to deal with. You are dealing with felons and you are not going to have normal working conditions and relationships. Forming bonds would be a challenge and your personal safety is at stake every day you go to work. You are such a charming, beautiful, and sociable woman that working at a prison may not be the best fit for you. Plus, you may be the sweetest person with the best intentions, but those incarcerated are not - that's why they are there.

I don't even visit my relatives, never have, but I've heard stories from my parents which is good enough for me....

 

[mariolatry]

My mom worked in a mixed mod/max facility mens' prison for 15 years as a librarian. She ran the library with her staff, made up entirely of inmates.
She often said that the prisoners weren't that bad but the staff made it stressful. They didn't hire people known for their empathy and communication skills. It attracted a certain class of "macho" people; the types with gun racks in the back of their trucks who are don't mind a job steeped in a little aggression. This meant that even routine disagreements among staff sometimes led to fistfights, etc. Also, given that it was a state job, it was a highly inefficient bureaucracy. It took forever to get anything done.

She had great benefits though and only truly feared for her safety a few times in fifteen years. Mostly, if you're not a guard, it's harder to get on the inmates' s***list.

 

[jbthi]

My son has his master's in criminal justice and works in a federal prison.
His ex-fiancee works as a psychologist at another federal prison.

I'm sure the working conditions may not always be ideal but they have had no real problems. The pay is good (makes six figures) and the benefits are great. He can retire when he is 47. I don't remember all the details about the financial part of his retirement but it is not much of a pay cut. He has regular pension, another sharing type pension, a social security bridge until he is 62 and a good insurance program in retirement.

He also has a nice 3 BR house on prison grounds. Good rental rate with all utilities included, inmates do all the outside work inc. lawn care, window washing, etc.

Most state prisons do not have the wages and benefits that a federal prison would.

 

[copper68]

vette- i guess i'm mixed on my views here.. i worked at a low security county jail.. i never really had too much of a problem.. but, since there was only one female cop, guess who had to sometimes search the female prisoners when they came in? yep.. you guess it.. me!! anyway, i never had any real problems but, on the other hand, i do agree with the other posters who have pointed out you're very pretty..

if you do take the job.. join us on the lush ladies thread.. you would need a drink after spending your day with some prisoners!! heck, if you don't take the job join us for a drink.. i know you're a lush!!

 

[malibuconlee]

There is a Max. Sec. prison in the county I grew up in. They also built a Super Max there. DH's uncle is a guard/manager (does scheduling and things) there. Also, my cousin is a jailer at the county jail.

I remember in high school, they told us how they used to take the social studies classes on a tour of the prison, but they had too many problems with the inmates and comments they were making to the female students (who they required to "dress down"), so they quit before I was old enough to do it.

When DH and I were dating he was in the National Guard and several of the guys in his unit were on the CERT team (Correctional Emergency Response Team) who are trained to deal with the inmates during uprisings or problems. I would NOT want to mess with any of those guys.

Even just the stories from my cousin about the county jail are enough so that I wouldn't want to work around it.

I agree with the comments Beth made, you're very beautiful and I would take that into consideration. IF you do take the job, take the comments about using your maiden name, unlist your phone #, nothing personal in your office, and definitely dress down.

I'm not telling you not to do it, but it's worth having a discussion with the hiring parties about these issues. If they've had them before, their recommendations and precautions they'll take.

Good luck with your job hunting!!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

You must have missed my post about how my cousins ds was attacked by a murderer in prison. He is a security guard at the local county prison and was putting the guy back in solitary. He used a broom handle to attack my cousins ds. He had to have surgery and now has 2 plates in his face and a swollen eye with blurry vision right now. Fri. he was suppose to be arraigned on attempted murder charges against my cousins ds. He attacked 3 other guards before and now is in the state prison. My best friends husband works at the same prison but with the juveniles and he was grabbed from behind and had to have surgery too because of his injuries.
You should make sure your personal safety is well secured before you say yes to anything. Good luck in your decision.

 

[vettechick99]

Wow, so many thoughtful responses! Safety is truly my number one concern here and I would never take a job if I felt at all uncomfortable. Of course my dad and DH are extremely wary, but they respect that it's my decision and know I won't do anything dangerous.

Any additional comments are appreciated and I'll post once I actually have the interview. Should be a good story at the very least.

 

[smilie]

The one thought that came to my mind was - are you planning on starting a family in the near future? Is this a place you would want to work while in that position?

 

[palmtreegirl]

My parents good friend just retired from her job at a prison. She taught the inmates and helped them get their GED's, some of the stories she came home with are priceless. As far as I know she never felt threatened in anyway and the inmates were very grateful for her help.

 

[minniecarousel]

My son worked in the County Jail last school year helping inmates with paperwork and research for appeals. (brought a whole new meaning to "my kid's in jail"!) It was a great experience for him. Some of the inmates teased him that his office was smaller than some of their cells. This job also helped him find out what he DOESN'T want as a job. He took a "field trip" with other college students to Pelican Bay (a maximum secirity Federal Prison). I was so glad that he told me about that one AFTER he went.

 

[vettechick99]

The one thought that came to my mind was - are you planning on starting a family in the near future? Is this a place you would want to work while in that position?

Yes, we plan on trying within the next few years although I'm not certain if I'll be a SAHM or not. So yes, it is in the back of my mind.

I'm applying for a position at the technical school nearby teaching Psychology. Maybe if we all think good thoughts on that one, in a month I'll be teaching 18 year olds instead of counseling convicts!

 

[GeorgiaAristocat]

I might have some perspective for you if you're interested (PM me) as I, my husband, his brother, and practically all of my friends work in Law Enforcement in your area. (My B-I-L was a guard at a Youth Detention Facility, then a Probation Detention Center, and I think also at a min or med security prison - possibly one you are considering.) I have also had to do some **minimal** work in prisons in my line of work - I'd be happy to share.

I'd agree with an earlier post - working in criminal justice, especially prisons, can easily change your perspective (and probably will, radically, in one direction or the other). Most people who work with prisoners are no longer neutral or without strong opinions about most aspects of prison, their use or appropriateness, prison life, and "prison reform."

And, since I studiously avoid any political discussions on this board, I'll stop now!

 

[dawgfan]

Hey vettechick. I am a Chief Parole Officer in Eatonton Ga. just up the road a ways from you. I work with prisoners and parolees. Parolees are people who have served a portion of time in prison and have been reviewed carefully for their potential to do the right thing once released. We place them under supervision and watch them closely. A parole officer position sounds like it would be a better match for what you want. This is law enforcement and you will carry a gun and be expected to be proficient with it. We do make arrests and that is something that you must be proficient in. We will train. Whil ewe are law enforcement related we are a moderate type of this application. Our job is to help offenders stay out instead of sending them back. We do this by resource referral and counseling. The counseling that you would do here i not group activity or directed at any one specific topic. Rather it is counseling on the many daily needs and tasks we all take for granted as if all people were already equipped with the tools to complete or deal with. We currently have no positions open however. You would have to be looking for one to come open. McCrae is Telfair county and it is handled out of the Douglas Parole Office. Fitzgerald also has an office. Both would be a drive but not horribly bad. Dublin also has a parole office and it has historically had position openings on a fairly regular basis. I go into prisons from time to time and work with people who work in prisons. That includes officers and counselors. I have hired at least five people that came from corrections and they all felt that I have rescued them. Everyone I have ever talked with who works in a prison cannot wait to get out of the job. Corrections has the highest turnover of any state agency. Counselors tend to stay longer than officers. It ain't the pay! When working in a prison you are an inmate too. You cannot leave easily or go around at will. Security you know. The environment can and will eventually get to you. Working with offenders outside prison is much different than inside. Inside a prison is where a completely different culture exists. It is dangerous in both respects. Each place has it's own dangerous elements. Prisoners are worse to deal with than parolees psycologically speaking. Prisoners spend most of their day thinking about how to manipulate, file grievances and get over on someone. If that someone is a prison official that is all the more better to them. Even a moderate thug can be a dangerous and irritating element inside. Can they be worked with? Sure they can. Don't expect miracles though and finding one that is truly receptive is like a diamond in a coal pit. DOC has counselors to go round. They have little effect in my experience as the environment is not conducive to that sort of thing. The system is not really set up to emphasize transition to society. Let's face it, prison is a false situation. It is also a set up for punishment. It is not a therapeutic environment and was never meant to be. We do what we can. Prisoners go to GED classes and take substance abuse classes. Their motivation to do so is purely selfish and not related to recovery or transition to society. They are not engaged in those activities to make themselves a better person or because they see they need the help. They are going to those classes to make themselves look better in the eyes of the parole board. It is all designed for an earlier release. When we get them on parole we make them go through this stuff all over. You can imagine the disgruntlement. They feel that if they take Substance Abuse 101 for instance they should not have to take any SA classes once released. They face the same environment or "playground" if you will, once released. Interestingly, you have a better chance of having success with parolees than prisoners in my opinion. There are a myriad of reasons for this. You can PM me if you have any further questions. This could get deep and long winded. I probably could not type everything in this forum you would have a question for. If you are still interested in the prison gig, I can give some insight to that as well. Get your questions together and I would be happy to help. There is certanly plenty of work to be had in this arena.

 

[Jack Splat]

I never worked in a prison, but I have toured a few state prisons in FL and TN when I practiced law. Saw the death chamber, Death Row, sat in Old Sparky in FL (without the voltage on obviously), spoke to several hardcore inmates (murder-for-hire child killers, rapists, etc.), spoke to several seemingly "reformed" inmates, etc. I always found it quite interesting, but very depressing. I still to this day cannot think of an adequate enough phrase or word to describe how I felt once I left the prison grounds each time.

 

[meandtheguys2]

vettechick, I don't, but SIL did some prison counseling. The one thing she said, was that in her position she was treated very well when at the prison. God bless em, when she told them she was a vegetarian at lunch, they went and brought her one on the HUGE cans of peaches so that she could have something to eat with them. (She took her lunch thereafter...!)

Good luck with the positions you are applying for. Teaching college students is a kick!

 

[vettechick99]

Thank you all for such great responses. I just love the wealth of information and experience here.

Dawgfan, thanks so much for the thoughtful post. I may PM you with questions soon.

I had my counseling interview today. I tell ya, state interviews are the shortest I've ever been on. If I hadn't asked so many questions, I wouldn't have been there more than 15 minutes. Makes those two-hour corporate ones look like a cake walk.

Before my interview, I was sitting outside the counselor area and an employee approached me and started a conversation. He asked if I was there for the counselor job and asked about my education, what I do now. Said he knew my husband's family and we talked about that. Turns out he was the Department head and just wanted to chat me up I guess. Anyway, he was very nice and also introduced me to the person I'd be replacing. She's being promoted, not quitting, which is promising.

For the interview, I talked with three other people (at once -- can't waste time now!), including an Assistant Warden (I think, she never did tell me her position). They asked why I wanted to work there, how I predict my reaction to prisoners would be, can I handle the paperwork. I really did well in the interview and got a good vibe from it. They didn't sell me on the job which is great...I don't want a bunch of BS. They said life is different there and I'll never be the same, but it can be very rewarding too. The person who succeeds wants to be there and help the prisoners...not just want a paycheck. Well that's me! That salary ain't why I applied!

So I'm still on the fence. I think I'd do really well since psychology is my thing. They are interviewing 12 people so I'd be really surprised to get a call-back, but the experience was really interesting. I'll keep you posted!