[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
[quote]BarneyFife wrote:
If you work a segregation unit, and you have someone that likes to gas you- buy a yellow rain slicker, and wear it when feeding. [/quote]
May I ask what this means? [/quote]
Inmate spitting on you, I believe.
Also, Barney, that was truly interesting to hear the detail you went into about being a CO. The public has the least idea what goes on in prisons, so it’s good to see that point of view.
Are you going to be working Jackson?
Prepare to hear a lot of “You do it!!”
[quote]Ripsaw3689 wrote:
[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
[quote]BarneyFife wrote:
If you work a segregation unit, and you have someone that likes to gas you- buy a yellow rain slicker, and wear it when feeding. [/quote]
May I ask what this means? [/quote]
Inmate spitting on you, I believe.
Also, Barney, that was truly interesting to hear the detail you went into about being a CO. The public has the least idea what goes on in prisons, so it’s good to see that point of view. [/quote]
I think gassing is when they piss and shit in a bucket and then throw it at the CO.
[quote]Testy1 wrote:
Are you going to be working Jackson?[/quote]
yes actually! I just got done with my first week of training today. It is real exciting stuff. The facility I will be at is only a level 1 so probably not as intense as what Barney is describing but they say they have their fair share of situations to deal with. Mostly contraband and what not. I haven’t gotten through reading the rest of the replies yet but thank you for the advice so far.
Spent almost two years as a CO myself in a men’s facility. Heres some tips.
That’s without the obvious physical considerations. Keep your distance.
BarneyFife dished out knowledge. Not much to add to it…other than don’t touch anything blindly and without gloves. Also…be keen at shift changes and the type of CO you are relieving. Pain in ass to have previous shift agitate cellblock/pod before clocking out.
Yes. Not limited to those items either. They get very creative.
[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
[quote]Ripsaw3689 wrote:
[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
[quote]BarneyFife wrote:
If you work a segregation unit, and you have someone that likes to gas you- buy a yellow rain slicker, and wear it when feeding. [/quote]
May I ask what this means? [/quote]
Inmate spitting on you, I believe.
Also, Barney, that was truly interesting to hear the detail you went into about being a CO. The public has the least idea what goes on in prisons, so it’s good to see that point of view. [/quote]
I think gassing is when they piss and shit in a bucket and then throw it at the CO.[/quote]
[quote]EmilyQ wrote:
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
Just be on the defensive, clock your check, enjoy the pension and benefits, and play sudoku all day. You are about to get paid bank to babysit grown men. [/quote]
One of my coworkers is getting ready to retire from my agency, his second retirement. The first was from corrections. He was a guard, and while working nights did the work for his master’s degree in social work. He was our children’s crisis guy for maybe 10 years. Perfect job for him as he is completely unflappable when things get bad and also doesn’t mind long stretches of boredom.
[/quote]
Alot of CO’s I encountered were mostly retired military of police. Banking their 2nd pension, while babysitting CEO’s and non-violent drug offenders at Club Fed in Vegas.
You can make some amazing contacts if you know how to network, one of my roommates was Peter Bacanovic (Martha Stewart’s stockbroker) whose advice I took and moved money to make me $60k profit within 6 months time.
[quote]BarneyFife wrote:
Yes. Not limited to those items either. They get very creative.
[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
[quote]Ripsaw3689 wrote:
[quote]Jackie_Jacked wrote:
[quote]BarneyFife wrote:
If you work a segregation unit, and you have someone that likes to gas you- buy a yellow rain slicker, and wear it when feeding. [/quote]
May I ask what this means? [/quote]
Inmate spitting on you, I believe.
Also, Barney, that was truly interesting to hear the detail you went into about being a CO. The public has the least idea what goes on in prisons, so it’s good to see that point of view. [/quote]
I think gassing is when they piss and shit in a bucket and then throw it at the CO.[/quote]
[/quote]
Ohhhhhhhhh. Well, now I know.
I would have to imagine, that if someone pissed and shit in a bucket and threw it on a CO, it would probably be the last thing he did on this Earth.
The SORT unit will usually come in and tune his ass up so bad, he will never be right again.
[quote]Joy Victoria wrote:
Spent almost two years as a CO myself in a men’s facility. Heres some tips.
That’s without the obvious physical considerations. Keep your distance. [/quote]
Is your avatar picture of you?
[quote]csulli wrote:
[quote]Joy Victoria wrote:
Spent almost two years as a CO myself in a men’s facility. Heres some tips.
That’s without the obvious physical considerations. Keep your distance. [/quote]
Is your avatar picture of you?[/quote]
I think it is, didn’t you see the main article on Friday?
[quote]StevenF wrote:
[quote]Testy1 wrote:
Are you going to be working Jackson?[/quote]
yes actually! I just got done with my first week of training today. It is real exciting stuff. The facility I will be at is only a level 1 so probably not as intense as what Barney is describing but they say they have their fair share of situations to deal with. Mostly contraband and what not. I haven’t gotten through reading the rest of the replies yet but thank you for the advice so far. [/quote]
Former inmate here. Working in a Level 1 facility doesn’t automatically mean you are around non-violent offenders. Many times you’ll have lifers or guys with long sentences coming up for parole and have “worked their way down” in security to look good for the parole board.
If parole doesn’t go their way, it’s not like the bus is right there after the hearing to take them back to medium or maximum. You’ll have a pissed off individual convicted of murder who just got guaranteed ten more years to serve before he even has a shot again walking around with guys convicted of DUI… I’ve seen some VERY violent behavior while in minimum/pre-release facilities. Don’t think for a second that, “oh, it’s just a level 1, so it’s not that bad”. That’s a sure way to let your guard down and get a shank in your neck over some dumb shit.
As you said, Level 1 facilities have far more access to contraband. That means both drugs AND weapons. Lots of potential for mischief.
You’ve gotten some good advice about showing restraint and respect and all that, but I have to say from personal experience, as soon as a CO starts getting “rapport” with inmates, the inmates will start working him for an angle. Be VERY clear with your self where you boundaries are. They are consciously probing and they play a long game. If you have a shaky boundary, they WILL find a weakness.
As for them respecting you, it’ll never happen. Respect happens between two equal individuals. The dynamic between a guard and inmates is NOT equal, unless you begin to compromise your principles and get sucked into their game. Go for fear. If they fear you, they’ll think twice before crossing you. But you’d better be damn sure that you never put your self in a position that would require their mercy, cuz you’ll have nothing coming.
I was locked up in Maryland, one of the worst systems in the country. The CO’s were almost as crooked as the inmates. I personally got stabbed five times in the four years I served. I got hit with a lock in a sock several times and multiple fights. be prepared to turn the other way as your fellow CO’s break the law. If you cross them, they can set you up to get hurt or worse. It is not a nice place to be, so be prepared.
Other side of the fence here- You DON’T make contacts. Doesn’t matter if you are watching a cellblock of famous financiers, movie stars and athletes. You don’t talk to them about anything more than weather and maybe the latest big game. Do not fall in to a trap of makign contacts or getting personal, or networking.
[quote]BarneyFife wrote:
Other side of the fence here- You DON’T make contacts. Doesn’t matter if you are watching a cellblock of famous financiers, movie stars and athletes. You don’t talk to them about anything more than weather and maybe the latest big game. Do not fall in to a trap of makign contacts or getting personal, or networking.[/quote]
Besides that, Jackson is not a “club fed” the only contacts you will be making there are the criminal college kind. I have a good friend that did eleven years there and to say it is not a nice place is an understatement.
I work on the same street as the prison and pass it every day on the way to work. Seriously depressing looking place. The old prison is down the road and still has some of the walls up, looks like a medieval castle.
Let me know if you need to know anything about the town, not a lot of restaurants around the prison it is surrounded by cornfields for the most part. Aren’t you from up near Fenton? That’s quite a haul.
One final kernel of knowledge- take twisted humor from the job when you can, it will help keep you sane. Sometimes, inmates are funny. My trustee- (inmate janitor basically) walked up to me and exclaimed- why do you smell so good!?! I responded matter of factly “It’s a mixture of whey protein, coffee, and stetson (cologne)” He laughed, made a body building pose, and said “I am a man” If you can find little things to laugh at, you will forget the drudgery for a while.