Correction Officials

Kristina Snyder

CRJ 303 Corrections

Jamila Harris

October 10, 2011

While most people go to a normal eight hour job and sit at a desk or file paper work, a correction official has more than just a regular eight hour job. Every day the officials run into new problems or unique problems that they are to face. Even those who are police officers to patrol the highway or arrest those who have outstanding warrants, those officers still have days where there are no problems and then they have days where they see unique situations. As for the officials, it is every day that they see new situations.

There are many different correction officials that work together in a facility. “There are many different positions that make up the complement of prison staff” (Seiter, 2008). For each of the officials that are involved with these facilities. Every correction official and police officer will always be at risk and it is a risky job to have. Correction officials have to deal with riots, medical problems with inmates, keeping other inmates and other officials safe. There are many problems that an official is faced with. There are many officials who have to check all the mail that comes into the facility for the inmates to make sure that the mail does not contain any type of drugs or contraband. It has been known for drugs and contraband to get into facilities through mail and other ways. With juveniles, drugs are a huge issue that correction officials have to deal with.

Many correction officials have found that the use of weapons is a big concern. Many inmates will find ways to make some type of weapon for safety or to hurt other inmates and possibly hurt the correction officials.” Every year, correctional officers are injured in confrontations with inmates. Correctional officers and jailers have one of the highest rates of nonfatal on-the-job injuries” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). There are more inmates than there are correction officials. Sometimes the inmates feel that they can take on the staff because they are outnumbered. But they do not realize they are fully trained for any situation that may rise.

When working with juvenile detainees, the officials usually try to focus on counseling for the juvenile. Many juvenile detainees are into gangs. Gangs are a big concern that the correction officers see every day. Usually correction officers are responsible for the education and safety of all the other inmates. It is a unique situation for the officer to see a youth that does get a chance to turn their life around and leave the life of criminality. Especially for the juveniles that have lived a life of their own in nothing but being a criminal because of the parents not caring what the juvenile has done or fails to take care of the child, so the juvenile has to provide food and shelter for himself by committing crimes.” A juvenile corrections officer has a rewarding career that can make a difference in the lives of many” (Article base, 2011).

Every person that is involved with working in the juvenile system has to have a lot of patience. There are times when situation may be chaotic, but no matter what situation, the officer has to remain patient and calm. The officers usually have to be physically fit and be able to run, jump, climb, kneel down and reach when needed on demand. There are also many situations when the officer is required to work in a confined space and it may be for a long period of time. The most important of being an officer is that the officer has to be able to understand juveniles and be prepared for and type of situation that can occur at any time of the day, such as riots.

Another unique situation that a correction official has is to be able to work with juveniles and prepare them for a reentry back into society. If the juvenile keeps getting into trouble while in the facility, then it is up to the officials to decide whether or not they are ready for society. It is up to a correction official to help a juvenile to get the education they need and can help them to succeed with their education, and if the juvenile can stay busy with studying and pursuing their education, it may help the prevent further acts of crime. Unlike in prison for adults, the adults have a choice in education. But in juvenile facilities, the juveniles have read textbooks and take classes to help them with their education. Also with working with juveniles, counseling is required, in which can help get to the root of the problem with a juvenile and help to see why the juvenile has acted out and committed crimes. This can also prevent further crimes.

The best part of being a juvenile correction officer is to know that working with a juvenile at an early age, can help to prevent the juvenile from committing further crimes into adult hood and that is very unique. The juvenile system is more to help prevent crimes and the prison for adults is more punishing a person for the crimes committed. Counseling and education is not mandatory in prisons and jails, but with juveniles it is mandatory. Juvenile facilities are more for rehabilitating a juvenile. It is rewarding for an officer when they succeed with juveniles and knowing they have made a difference in a child’s life so they will not commit any further crimes. The officer also knows that they have protected society from one more criminal.” Human Services Commissioner Christopher Finch told the new Corrections officers they can be the one person an inmate can look back to as having helped them in their youth. "You can be the one to have that effect in their lives"(Cristian, 2011). That can be the most unique situation that a correction officer is faced with on a daily base.

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-

11 Edition, Correctional Officers, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos156.htm

(visited October 10, 2011).

Cristian Simescu. (6 October). New officers join Youth Rehabilitation Center. McClatchy -

Tribune Business News, *** [insert pages] ***. Retrieved October 10, 2011, from

ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 2477941541).

Retrieved October 10, 2011 from:

http://kennethechie.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/the-juvenile-corrections-officer-7

64728.html#ixzz1aO8zoXQU

Seiter,P.2008. Corrections: An Introduction. 2nd edition. Pearson Prentice Hill.