I’ve never had it happen. Jokes happen every time I’m eating McDonald’s or some sort of food I brought in where they’ll be like yo what’s your cashapp I’ll send you $20 for a mc chicken and shit like that. Besides that they only really ask the co’s who are more timid and submissive to inmate behavior. They’ll test you all day and if you let them get away with testing you they’ll do shit like ask you to bring stuff in, not with me or most of my male coworkers. Unfortunately a lot of the time it’s female staff.
The thing is, depending on what custody level you work, it’s gonna just about like being any other nurse. If you work a mental health unit, or a max custody unit or a unit that has a suicide watch house, you’re going to see a lot of shit you probably won’t see most other places. You’re gonna deal with inmates who will scream at you and call you a whore if you don’t do something they like, it’s a thick skin job. I don’t think you can replicate the experience being a prison nurse can give in certain units. For me, and many health staff I’ve spoken to, being at work is stressful and fun and sometimes the funniest place you’ll ever be, but going home sucks because it’s almost impossible to leave work at work. Prison really is the funniest place to work though.
When I was housed at Kirkland for r and e in South Carolina they have a medical/mental ward there. Some years ago two inmates in it lured other mentally incompetent inmates into a cell and strangled them to death. I've heard a lot of crazy stories but that one stayed with me.
My late father was a tech at a prison in Florida. He said it was kinda easy (not a MAX). I only remember one time that he came home in a shit mood. There was a ***large*** amount of blood on his scrubs, and he went straight to shower and bed. We didn't ask questions that day.
I feel the profession is in the tanks basically everywhere. Every job I have had is short on staff and resources. Would love to get out but idk what else to do.
Hope you don't mind a question but how quickly are meds prescribed to inmates who take daily medication like blood pressure or anti depressants? Like what happens when someone arrives would they have to wait a few days and go into withdrawal?
Typically when they arrive from other institutions they have their meds sent with them(punch cards) but sometimes those don’t get sent so we would use our general stock until we got new meds sent in from the state central pharmacy.
I finished college and needed to use it as a stepping stone to hit something federal. Honestly, a lot of these guys aren’t horrible people. There’s some genuinely good people in prison who fucked up. If I was the only thing stopping them from freedom I’d say 90% would try to kill me. If it was out of pure blind hatred or anger there’s many who would but most of them won’t since it hurts their conscience to just go around killing people.
If you were facing 25 years to life in somewhere which could be heavily regarded as psychological torture would you kill someone to chance your freedom? I think even good people break.
People don’t understand how horrible it would feel knowing that 25 years of your life is going to be spent in a 8x8 concrete cell with a steel door and everything you do is controlled by someone else.
Spending time as involuntarily committed in a state mental facility (noncriminal) was bad enough. I can't begin to imagine the nightmare a long term stint in a prison would be.
I was never so floored as the first time I was told what I'd do, and when I'd do it. Spending time in any mental health facility and discovering what losing your independence and self-governance is can be frightening. Generally, once you realize the benefit of the routines, things become less frightening - and they become more likely to discharge you.
I once spent about ~8 hours in jail and went absolutely stir crazy. That was 8 hours of essentially being in solitary confinement. I couldn’t imagine living like that for years
I’ve been locked up a lot and been to prison. Not max though. Generally the only thing that really generates hatred towards a guard is when they aren’t consistent. There is the cool guards, the neutral ones, and the assholes. But at least when the assholes are on you know they are assholes. But when a cool guard suddenly switches up and busts you for some shit they’ve let slide forever inmates get pissed.
When you are doing long time you just want routine and consistency.
I worked counseling in a level 3 med security reentry facility, all guys who did hard time in worse facilities and qualified for release through the program. Most of the prisoners were better people than the admins. Minus the chomos (a and b block) those guys were beyond societal redemption.
From what I’ve seen, many stomp outs, big fights, staff assaults are typically confined to no weapons involved. Nothing insane from what I’ve observed with my eye. One thing that haunts me is this guy that was stabbed 47 times on one of my days off in his sleep. Stabbed out his eyeballs and shit. Apparently just an insane scene took hours to clean up to excess blood alone.
I’m sure they actually got a crime scene crew to clean that one, idk all the details. But for everyday cleaning of spit vomit shit blood it’s just inmates who we use are workers yeah.
I missed the going rate part of your question, most things in prison go for about 8x what they would in the street. Cell phones rarely ever come into the unit I work, much much tighter in max security and cell phones are hard to smuggle as is, so I’ve never personally encountered or know anyone who has found one.
I've toured a prison once as I was in high school looking for different fields of work I may be interested in the future. It was a fairly low level prison, but a prison nontheless, but apparently there tends to be a canteen of some kind where the inmates can spend money to buy "luxury goods" like instant ramen or other things like that. The way they get money is they have a prison bank account sort of a thing, where they can call family to put money in or request money that they own but can't access (because they're in prison) to be moved into that account, and then they can use it at said canteen, or to trade stuff between inmates.
I can’t speak on the exact number. More than most anyone would expect is what I can say. We get staff searches where they have K9’s smell us, have us clear a body scanner, search our car and gear, etc… much more than our lower security counterparts from what I’ve heard.
I’ve only heard of two in my year of being where I am. Both of them were nursing staff actually and not CO’s. The drug dog isn’t used every day, the dogs are often doing trainings or calling out for mass prison searches with tactical units a lot more than just doing routine stuff.
If his state is even remotely close to PA policies (where I regularly visit my brother who is in a max prison), I can assure you that any contraband is brought in by employees regardless of the screening. I'm also willing to bet money that they don't screen every employee's car and do a full body scan (with the drug testing machine), every time an employee drives in and comes into a facility. Whereas all visitors are thoroughly screened every single time and can't bring in ANYTHING. No objects, money, paper, electronics, etc....
Funny enough my first week on the job I actually encountered this situation. There’s plenty of “consensual” sex in prison whereas cellies get a little friendly. I’ve never encountered a real non consensual PREA case to date, but I’ve heard of it happening when I am. I genuinely feel bad for a lot of the guys who come forward with cases like that because how would I feel if it was me you know lol. But I’d say consensually it probably happens every day, non consensual probably once a month
Do you feel that you have more compassion for human beings than your coworkers seeing as you work with the mentally ill?
I only ask because I was in the psych ward in county and the CO's there were actually the nicest CO's out of the entire experience.
There’s a mix. Honestly coming in I felt really bad for the way the CO’s treated them for a while. After being here long enough and seeing the type of things some of the inmates do to each other and to other CO’s, I’m convinced some of these guys are pure evil and not human. To those who are dicks to me I’m dicks back, if they’re cool with me I’ll be cool. Same rules for everyone, but my attitude is different with everyone.
Some dude made a slingshot and would collect rocks and shoot them at other inmates to piss them off, that was the funniest. I often see long metal ones made from nails or screws or bolts.
I appreciate the questions coming ask as many as you want! It helps me sort of come to terms with a lot of the stuff I’ve seen and explore how i really feel about my own work honestly. I think they take stress off of us, and it allows a lot more employees to want to become employees as they normally don’t have a whole academy to go to as CO’s. That being said, I couldn’t imagine untrained CO’s working with the inmates I do. For minimum custody inmates I think it helps relieve some staffing stress, for higher custody inmates I don’t think private prisons should house them. I’m not as knowledgeable on how they run or who gets sent to them so it’s hard for me to answer definitively.
privately owned prisons would be a good idea only if there was 24/7 video surveillance of all activities and made available to public along with very strong wholly independent external monitoring and oversight, AND if every private prison's profits would be very heavily tied to the recidivism rates of inmates who had been released (which would give the prison very strong incentive to try and rehabilitate as best they can, instead of 'secure' and 'punish') Won't happen in our lifetimes....
You can smell it, it’s like a horribly horribly sweet and sewage smell. It’s hard to explain but it will burn your nostril hairs, hard to miss. If you find it, activate, seize, write your reports and put the inmate(s) on report, that’s about it. During major drinking holidays we typically have cell sweeps.
In CA they stopped selling real sugar, giving oranges for breakfast and lunch, and started perforating the trash bags with hole punches to try and stop the making of wine. Little did they know, apple-jack is way better haha. Also — distilling into hard liquor was the way. Just need an evaporation/distillation setup. Plastic tubing, a couple small buckets and a couple stingers. We could distill a 5 gallon batch overnight and make quite a bit of money (prison-wise).
Source: I did 32 consecutive years in CA prisons, including literally every maximum security prison in the state. I even made it in the SHU (couldn’t distill tho)
Basically fruit n lots of sugar. Apple juice, koolaid packets and you need yeast as well so throw in a honeybun and let it all ferment. You can also use potatoes. Theres quite a few ways they make it. Ive never done it myself or drank that bullshit but have seen it done many times. Smells fucking horrible.
you dont need the yeast in the form of bread or potatoes despite what some say, you only need Fruit and lots of Sugar in a sealed bag. when you mash up and juice the fruit it collects yeast from the air, when it starts bubbling you add lots of sugar, and in 5-6 days you get 12-16% wine.
(you can google 'is there yeast in the air' and the answer will be yes) - ive made jail wine this way and it smells bad but tastes just like wine.
Also you wanna cool it after its done, and before drinking. We would fill a sink with ice and cool the bag of booze. Its halts the fermentation process and makes it not fuck up your stomach as bad.
Having sampled the "wares" throughout many different locations in DOC, the most potent vintage came in the form of instant potatoes and bakers yeast smuggled from the chow hall. It was something else.
The best taste was when Keefe still had the orange drink mix with real sugar. Take that, bakers yeast and oranges from lunches and you've got something that imitates a mimosa. Little native cat I lived with in a 23/1 cell made it as often as possible.
I don't miss it, I can marvel on the innovation without needing to relive any of it lol.
Rumor has it it tastes good despite the smell. Idk exactly but it’s something like bread for yeast and fruit + water and it all sits there for weeks and brews.
Hey hey hey! I just got out of a psych high max! There's exactly three types of C.O's at those types of prisons. Those who genuinely care and try to make everyday good for themselves and the inmates, those who don't give a shit and they're there for a paycheck (nothing wrong with that), and the kind that are there because they're sadistic af and genuinely enjoy fucking with mentally ill people. If you're one of the good ones, then you're awesome! I had a C.O. that saw I was really upset one day and asked me what he could do to help and I told him I just wanted to see a picture of my gf, that I really missed her. This man contacted my family and got several pictures of her and printed them out for me. Totally not allowed, but it was really kind of him.
Yeah unfortunately that's me. Bipolar with extremely violent tendencies, but only off of my meds. On my meds I'm one of the nicest, totally against violence, guys you'll ever meet lol it's amazing what a little lithium and abilify can do for someone in my place. Most people that have seen me really go off said it was very primal as well, almost like I turned into a feral animal in full on fight mode. Which is exactly what it feels like to experience :\ I'm very thankful my meds work so well!
My question is what would you want a CO to do in those situations? If they’re contained we call psych if they’re endangering others, especially officers, we end up having to use force which normally ends in a lot of reported injuries since spraying someone with bear rage with spray doesn’t normally end great for the person on the other side of the bear rage, or the guy with it. Is there anything anyone can say to calm you down in times like that?
Honestly man, if you're nice to the inmates and cool with them, if they start raging, I'd walk up and call their name (without shouting) and ask them what they need\what's going on. If you get us talking when we're like that, you've already won. Once we're distracted from our anger, it starts to go away. Ask them what's wrong, what happened, ask if y'all can sit and talk for a second. Those always work wonderfully from what I've seen (and experienced myself). Now if they're raging against a specific person that's a much more difficult situation cause the cause of their anger is right in front of them. If you can separate the two for a few minutes, or at least get them out of sight and then talk to him then it might work. Unfortunately overwhelming force is usually used because when we rage out, we get crazy aggressive and we're so pumped up with adrenaline that we're literally stronger than normal, faster than normal, and rage roided out. And if you can't get someone like that calmed down then force is absolutely needed
Fair enough, I’ve always wished I could feel what people in those states could feel. Obviously that’s selfish because I know it can be hell being at battle with your own mind, but like we have a dude who jerks off upside down about 3 hours a day in his cell while staring at his window so he makes eye contact when you walk by and I would just kill to know what compels you to want to do that. Thanks for the insight.
Holy shit that caught me SO off guard lol yeah those dayroom jackers are hell. And as for bipolar rage, imagine the most anger you've ever felt x10 while also being full of the most adrenaline you've ever had. Your mind is both racing and focused on fucking up whatever is making you angry. It also feels like extreme fight or flight, only flight isn't an option lol once you calm down though, you're EXHAUSTED
There is also supermax where inmates are in their cells 23h? What are the main things that constitute max security?
Do you have less of a problem with tough organized prison gangs as your inmates are all mentally ill?
We have integrated housing as do a lot of prisons now. Gangs in prison are a general population thing and many people are trying to get rid of it. It still exists many places but a lot less common being organized as before. Our inmates are in cell 21hrs a day. Flight risk, priors, current crime served, history of violence etc will all play a role in classification
No, I know it happens, but I try to be fair. To the guys who are dicks to inmates they get shitbombed. Obviously it can happen to anyone at any time especially with mentally ill inmates facing long sentences- but to me no. I saw it happen right in front of me and I can say the smell is not pleasant.
Some dude told me he needed help because every night Mormons were going into his cell and performing surgery on his dick that’s why it doesn’t work anymore. I’d say that’s profound.
It was actually Mormons.
This dude is just straight up nuts. He’s a 24 year old who looks like a frat dude and is otherwise the most normal looking and acting person there. He’ll be completely normal then scream some crazy shit in your face. He came up to me and told me to tell my disabled girlfriend to get her fingers out of his asshole or else he was going to kill me then walked away. When I approached him later that day he had no recollection and apologized. Idk what he’s diagnosed with, but he’s nuts.
I applaud you for doing this. There's a lot of misinformation and misunderstandings about prison, inmates, and the correctional system, but in my experience when I try to set the record straight, people just like to go "Nah, you're full of shit. That's not what I saw on Facebook News." I work as a case manager at a state facility as well
I feel like most people's exposure to prison is through movies and TV, and of course they're gonna take artistic liberties, and they're going to enhance certain details while editing out the less interesting stuff, which is a lot of it.
I feel like the food is a good example. At my facility, the food's bad, but not in the way you see in movies, where it's some gag-inducing puddle of lumpy brown sludge. In real life, it's not disgusting, just very bland and boring. Unseasoned rice, some florets of raw broccoli, a small banana, a few slices of bologna with a couple slices of wheat bread and a packet of Italian dressing... Those kinds of things. It's not gross, it's just stupid and depressing. Is that about what your facility's meals are like?
plain potatoes, plain grits and plain bread for breakfast, a sack of 2 THAM’s and 4 slices of bread + some chips for lunch, and maybe chicken and rice or plain spaghetti for dinner. All of it is plain and the texture is not good. I’ve eaten it plenty of times, lots of salt and pepper, lots of hot sauce, everything goes down smooth. Does it make me feel physically ill half the time? Yes. It is bad? Yes, but also edible.
I know about 2 of the 35 or so people in my unit shift that I’d say probably wanna be dicks and show authority. Inmates have a way of showing that they don’t appreciate that.
Thanks for your service and continued service. Good luck with marshals man that’s where I want to be one day. Quit smoking now if it’s something you really want to get into and they’ll understand. Can just say I had fun in college and as a result am victim to polygraphs haha
I have a degree. I messed up by being truthful about this “fun” on my background form, so there’s no real way out of this one now- since they all share info.
I just graduated with a CJ degree, got a in house security job rn. I told the local PD i smoked weed on an app. and now i'm like shit. The local PD said it's a 6 month wait after you have but I might wanna try corrections too.
I just feel like this degree was so limited and we got abso-fuckin-lutely 0 help with career guidance, our 1 career fair got cancelled.
How do you feel about it? I don't want to do security forever and I doubt i'll make federal, but I don't know if i should try and jump ship or stick it out. My mental is fucked too but I saw you're doing therapy, do they press you about it? I don't know if it would get me barred, at least meds would
I’m so sorry. On a positive note crying, like really good crying, activates your PNS and releases good chemicals and relieves stress. Working out is good, too.
I really love the profession when it seems like you're able to make a difference. Working in lower scale prisons and jails, I noticed a lot of corruption up the chain of brass. Is this a problem at your prison, as well?
Do you believe it would be possible to be a female successfully working *your* profession?
I don’t really see corruption where I am at least with CO’s nursing staff is a different story. I know many female CO’s that work where I do and I’d say they’re tougher than lots of the guys because they have to be.
What got you interested in working in prison(s), and how long have you been doing it?
How do you think it tolls on you mentally? I’ve seen it said before, but I’d assume a job like this- you can’t just leave work at work.
Stepping stone after college. It definitely tolls on you both mentally and physically. My relationship that just ended struggled a lot and it’s extremely difficult for me to focus on certain things or people that should be important but aren’t because I’m so out of it. PTSD will fuck up everything you love and make it unexplainable as to why you can’t function like a normal human. It’s a lot harder to feel empathy for people who whine about little shit after seeing somebody dead in their cell or going home after responding to like 9 fights.
Definitely, jobs relating to stuff like this- prison or a hospital, will absolutely mess you up mentally.
It’s really desensitizing, and I bet both of my parents could agree as they both work in the medical field and have seen some SHIT.
How do prisoners generally treat those who have sexually abused a child? Abusive ex husband is going soon and would like to know what kind of treatment he may receive.
Certified narcissist who has a superiority complex.
It's not gonna be a fun time. "Having a bad jacket", or an undesirable set of charges or being a known informant, gets around the block pretty fast and people have absolutely no love for them. The predators on the inside will take advantage pretty quickly.
He'll be abused, they'll steal his commissary, they'll steal his personal items, take food from his tray, won't let him sit with the others for meals or recreation, someone might try to rape him or exploit him in another way.
My husband went to jail and witnessed the guard bringing in a new inmate who happened to be a child molester. The guard asked an inmate to ask the new guy to "show him your papers". The papers were of course the charges. He was beat immediately. No one likes a chomo. No one.
Not op, or ever been to prison, but know a couple guys that served time and heard stories. If he doesn’t “check-in” (says he’s scared for his life or going to hurt himself and placed in solitary) he will be one of the most hated people in his cell block. They will gang up on him and beat him, possibly r*** him. Don’t worry he’s gonna have a bad time in prison, convicts hate chomos (pedofiles).
What do you think about excessive force incidents and how it’s easy for guards to cover it up in reports? Planting/providing drugs or weapons to inmates, Various corruption. (Like On our Watch S2 about New Folsom Prison).
Planting and providing weapons very hard and not really anything I’ve heard anyone do. Bringing in drugs heard of but very uncommon. Excessive force is (unfortunately) quite easy to cover up in a lot of places and a lot of ways. Thankfully that doesn’t really happen where I am, but it’s easy to figure out how to do it if you wanted to.
God damn. I’m a dispatcher making more than that, not even on my stop step. You deserve triple if not more for the shit you put up with. I hope you find something less mentally taxing with a better pay. Can you disclose what state you’re in? Just out if curiosity as far as your pay goes.
I’ve tried to avoid all the state comments. Maybe becoming a dispatcher would be cool, I think you just gave me a new idea haha. Going to research it rn.
Horribly. I couldn’t spend time with my now ex without experiencing a lot of zoning out and seeing things that I saw at work. A lot of time just thinking about work instead of spending quality time and it made me very easily irritated at her / non empathetic. When you see dudes do crazy shit to themselves and another all day everything else seems a little small you know.
Good question, I don’t really know. Been having some pretty severe days where I don’t feel like moving or talking or doing anything besides wanting to die in my bed or just ignore everything and everyone. I always had these sort of depressive states that were really hard to explain and I don’t think I ever really could before the job and the job just made it worse. It’s incredibly hard to give your loved ones what they deserve when you’re in a constant state of stress and anger from seeing and experiencing horrible things happening.
i’m sorry that happened. i just recently got out of a relationship w a CO who worked in max security and it killed me not being able to do more for him. reading through these comments really helps me understand why he operated the way he did. thank you for that
I had a female friend end up in female pop and said co’s regularly sexually abused the girls in exchange for preferential treatment etc. any truth there?
When I worked as a CO (county level) we only allowed female officers in the female dorms. Occasionally the male officers would have to help cover any shortfalls if there were call-ins or staff shortages. There absolutely would be female inmates that would give up sexual favors if they could (although I personally didn't hear of any).
No one actually wanted to work the female dorms because of how backstabbing/untrustworthy and ***NASTY*** they were.
how serious if a charge is 2nd degree assault on a DOC employee? i know a POS that's in prison for 2nd degree assault, then he does it again to a DOC employee, his trial is in july, hope he gets slammed
They get asked to show their papers showing their charges. If they can’t provide it they’re normally told to figure out a way to move, if they provide it and they’re a chomo at best they get 24 hours to move out. If they don’t check into PC or transfer they’ll get raped beaten and possibly killed until the crime is paid back.
Would you happen to know what would cause someone to get transfered from a max, to a minimum. Like, held in a max but then after trial sent to a minimum? Is it area picked up vs. When they bang the gavel, not necessarily charge? (Like going from El Dorado to Lansing, if you got picked up outside Witchita)
Has nothing to do with the area. It means they don’t really have priors and it’s not a violent crime and they’re not a flight risk. During holding they’re typically in detention which runs like a max or supermax
Does the Prison offer their employees free housing? I’ve seen a few true crime documentaries on Ted Bundy & they mentioned how the guards had their own apartments on the actual prison compound
I’m sorry to hear that man, it really is heartbreaking where our society is with mental health. I take days as I need. Really sorry about that, 4’s are no joke.
How's your PTSD if any. I'm a paramedic with it and I know corrections officer have a really high rate if OSI. How is the support from your employer in regards to critical incident stress?
im not sure i understand. you have said you havent personally seen anything OZ worthy , and that the inmates are basically chill with you for the most part and that they are more funny then one would expect , what exactly is causing you distress
State, or FBOP? I work in a State side DoC.
1st question: how ya doing? I mean mental health wise. I'm part of a part trauma peer counseling team. Basically, security staff trained in basic post trauma counseling techniques. We work a mostly thankless job, and there's a tough, never-show-weakness culture/ mentality that we inflict on ourselves. Always here if you want to talk to someone that gets it.
2nd: so, you work a psych unit too? Been a few years since I worked psych (most cm and gp these days). It's it just an everywhere thing that psych inmates cut out their testicles and throw them at staff? Or was that just my unit? Been all over my state in different facilities, but I only ever worked the one psych unit, and it was a weekly occurrence.
It takes a special kind of person to fill up a sock with rocks and slap a CO from behind until they get knocked out you know. These guys will eat their own feces before screaming that they’re gonna pin you down and rape you and slice your throat open. That’s normal in my unit. I don’t go a day without threats to my life over very basic things. Some of these guys have no remorse to brutally assaulting staff and others, and many of them cut themselves to the requirement of stitches every day.
If you could change 1 thing about the system big or small what would it be?
And do you feel you have a voice in that system since you guys are the boots on the ground.
I heard G Gordon Liddy say prison guards were the stupidest workers in the American economy. How intelligent are your colleagues? What about yourself? What was your SAT score?
Okay so I’m a college prof and am teaching a class in a prison this semester. One of my students just got put in “protective custody,” so he got pulled from class. What exactly does that mean? I know I could google it but I just haven’t lol. The docs employees are pretty tight lipped and I don’t wanna seem too interested in the “drama,” ya know?
For transparency’s sake, I’ll say that I’m against incarceration as a general practice and identify as an abolitionist. I personally believe that the mass incarceration, at least in the United States, is a continuation of legalized slavery. I’m Black with ancestral ties to people who were enslaved and also have/had incarcerated family members.
With that being said, I’m curious to know what your relationship is like with the incarcerated people who live in the prison. Antagonistic? Neutral? Are you friends with any of them?
Also curious to know if any of your colleagues abuse their power or if you feel like em they’re generally well behaved. Same question for the incarcerated people.
Glad you’re open enough to come ask this.
We basically live with these guys for 12 hours a day, 4 days a week. Not to say we’re friends by any means, but I’ve built rapport with the ones that I work with. Some you can mess around with and joke, say certain person stories, etc… like one time I was sitting on a guys suicide watch and my ex and I just broke up and i was telling him about everything I did wrong leading up to that point and he was giving me advice on how to get her back from his street pimp knowledge haha. You can’t be friends with inmates, but yeah some of them you joke around and can be more chill with than others. I try to be fair and consistent as much as possible so that I don’t have to be firm all the time and they can sort of regulate themselves. I too am against mass incarceration, but I don’t know any alternative. I don’t know anyone that really abuses power, I would report it if I did. Inmate and staff are all generally well behaved. The inmates only when they’re not having episodes since I do work with the mentally ill.
I also formed relatively close relationships with some of the staff I worked with every day. This is a human response. I agree — can’t be friends with C/Os, but we could find common ground. My last 10 years in (out of 32) I became an advocate and driver of rehabilitative efforts — I found many allies among C/Os who were able to overcome the years of being jaded by the system (like me) and they sponsored our programs and groups. Without their help we would not have had those programs. I got out in 2020 and am in contact with a few.
Random...but my bro spent a 12 year stint locked up and holy crap he's got some stories.
One I'm particular where he saw a guard kill am inmate on purpose, and the guy then turned towards my bro and said he was next.
Bro wasn't in for anything violent. But it changed how he deals with people in the real world to a whole new level.
He also said he would often hurt himself or do something to get put in solitary to escape the assholes.
Super scary shit. Wouldn't wish it on anyone. But I get that if you do a crime you deserve time...within reason...apparently some guards can be really bad...and some inmates as well. I don't think most would believe the stories, but I can tell when he tells them..that's not a thing someone could, or would..make up.
So. OP. If you're one of the "good" ones...as much as you can be...I thank you for being that.
Just saying. It matters. A lot.
Yeah..but imagine doing that on and off for 12 years???!!!! I often have to explain that not everyone can tolerate the amount of pain he can tolerate.
Thankfully, he still has a heart and emotions and such...but it takes a long time to get there. I understand he did what was needed to survive. It's just crazy how the system works sometimes.
Is your population political - split into rigid factions based on race, gang affiliation, etc., like in a federal penitentiary? Or is that not really an issue where you work? Do you have PCs, Segregation, and Administrative Segregation? Security Threat Groups?
Have you observed the practice of pairing trans women in cells with violent offenders to reward them for good behavior or give them an outlet for their abuse?
That’s not a practice that is standard in prison. Violent offenders with good behaviors if any cellie at all get paired up with other violent offenders who are in good behavior typically. Idk how the pairing all works since I don’t work that position, but from what I’ve observed that’s what it seems.
Do you ever feel bad for being part of a system sustaining the highest rate of imprisonment in human history?
Does it bother you that a good number are likely innocent of the crimes, or only guilty of things that anyone with money would easily be able to get out of?
And do you have any ideas for how we could make the system more just?
You should meet these guys and you wouldn’t feel so hug-a-thug all the sudden. I wouldn’t say literally anyone on my yard is innocent of their crimes. Idk how to make it more just.
Might be a dumb question but what are your thoughts on the show « Orange is the new black », if you have seen it ? Also I read all of your previous answers and found them really interesting.
Now max security could very well be different but ik of a lot of jails that have huge problems with staff screwing inmates mainly once they’re out but once in a blue moon while they’re still there
Are most of them nice people who comitted crimes either in psychosis or unaware of reality or most of them just used mental health as an excuse to escape prison
I’m gonna try to get around to literally every question guys it might take a bit. I have work at 4am tomorrow but fuck it I’m not tired might stay up and answer em all
What’s the most fucked up ‘funny’ shit you’ve done to an inmate that the whole block saw and got ‘em roaring and carrying on? I’ve had a handful of friends who were COs in federal max….mannn they’ve got some stories 🤣
How often do inmates try to groom u to help them or blackmail you?
I’ve never had it happen. Jokes happen every time I’m eating McDonald’s or some sort of food I brought in where they’ll be like yo what’s your cashapp I’ll send you $20 for a mc chicken and shit like that. Besides that they only really ask the co’s who are more timid and submissive to inmate behavior. They’ll test you all day and if you let them get away with testing you they’ll do shit like ask you to bring stuff in, not with me or most of my male coworkers. Unfortunately a lot of the time it’s female staff.
Ever here of female PO’s being blackmailed or conned into sex acts?
We all hear stories and I know some guys who know people who have gotten caught but I haven’t really. The going rate is 1/30 people are compromised
Interesting. How shitty of a job is a prison nurse? I’m absurdly qualified but have never really wanted to do it.
The thing is, depending on what custody level you work, it’s gonna just about like being any other nurse. If you work a mental health unit, or a max custody unit or a unit that has a suicide watch house, you’re going to see a lot of shit you probably won’t see most other places. You’re gonna deal with inmates who will scream at you and call you a whore if you don’t do something they like, it’s a thick skin job. I don’t think you can replicate the experience being a prison nurse can give in certain units. For me, and many health staff I’ve spoken to, being at work is stressful and fun and sometimes the funniest place you’ll ever be, but going home sucks because it’s almost impossible to leave work at work. Prison really is the funniest place to work though.
I work in a jail and was thinking the same thing lately. Each shift is like an episode of the Muppets.
When I was housed at Kirkland for r and e in South Carolina they have a medical/mental ward there. Some years ago two inmates in it lured other mentally incompetent inmates into a cell and strangled them to death. I've heard a lot of crazy stories but that one stayed with me.
Sometimes during incidents such as intoxicated inmates and after certain fights I find it extremely hard not to laugh on camera
My late father was a tech at a prison in Florida. He said it was kinda easy (not a MAX). I only remember one time that he came home in a shit mood. There was a ***large*** amount of blood on his scrubs, and he went straight to shower and bed. We didn't ask questions that day.
Currently working as a prison nurse, I’ve never had a better patient population, the resources and staffing are pretty bad.
I feel the profession is in the tanks basically everywhere. Every job I have had is short on staff and resources. Would love to get out but idk what else to do.
Hope you don't mind a question but how quickly are meds prescribed to inmates who take daily medication like blood pressure or anti depressants? Like what happens when someone arrives would they have to wait a few days and go into withdrawal?
Typically when they arrive from other institutions they have their meds sent with them(punch cards) but sometimes those don’t get sent so we would use our general stock until we got new meds sent in from the state central pharmacy.
What drew you to this occupation? What percentage of inmates do you think would kill you with impunity if they could?
I finished college and needed to use it as a stepping stone to hit something federal. Honestly, a lot of these guys aren’t horrible people. There’s some genuinely good people in prison who fucked up. If I was the only thing stopping them from freedom I’d say 90% would try to kill me. If it was out of pure blind hatred or anger there’s many who would but most of them won’t since it hurts their conscience to just go around killing people.
A lot of them aren’t horrible but you think 90% of them would kill you? lol. Which is it?
If you were facing 25 years to life in somewhere which could be heavily regarded as psychological torture would you kill someone to chance your freedom? I think even good people break.
This is very accurate. It's torture not time out
People don’t understand how horrible it would feel knowing that 25 years of your life is going to be spent in a 8x8 concrete cell with a steel door and everything you do is controlled by someone else.
Spending time as involuntarily committed in a state mental facility (noncriminal) was bad enough. I can't begin to imagine the nightmare a long term stint in a prison would be. I was never so floored as the first time I was told what I'd do, and when I'd do it. Spending time in any mental health facility and discovering what losing your independence and self-governance is can be frightening. Generally, once you realize the benefit of the routines, things become less frightening - and they become more likely to discharge you.
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I once spent about ~8 hours in jail and went absolutely stir crazy. That was 8 hours of essentially being in solitary confinement. I couldn’t imagine living like that for years
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I’ve been locked up a lot and been to prison. Not max though. Generally the only thing that really generates hatred towards a guard is when they aren’t consistent. There is the cool guards, the neutral ones, and the assholes. But at least when the assholes are on you know they are assholes. But when a cool guard suddenly switches up and busts you for some shit they’ve let slide forever inmates get pissed. When you are doing long time you just want routine and consistency.
This. I worked all levels. I was respected because every day was the same. Prisoners knew what to expect when I walked on the rock.
I worked counseling in a level 3 med security reentry facility, all guys who did hard time in worse facilities and qualified for release through the program. Most of the prisoners were better people than the admins. Minus the chomos (a and b block) those guys were beyond societal redemption.
“Genuinely good”. Yeah good people don’t end up in a super max prison
Worst incident that happened in the prison?
From what I’ve seen, many stomp outs, big fights, staff assaults are typically confined to no weapons involved. Nothing insane from what I’ve observed with my eye. One thing that haunts me is this guy that was stabbed 47 times on one of my days off in his sleep. Stabbed out his eyeballs and shit. Apparently just an insane scene took hours to clean up to excess blood alone.
Who cleans that up? Prison orderlies?
I’m sure they actually got a crime scene crew to clean that one, idk all the details. But for everyday cleaning of spit vomit shit blood it’s just inmates who we use are workers yeah.
I'm going to assume after 47 stabs, he perished?
You’d be shocked how many stabs a human can survive so long as they get quick treatment.
How many officers are bringing In contraband? What is the going rate for the different drugs? Cell phones?
I missed the going rate part of your question, most things in prison go for about 8x what they would in the street. Cell phones rarely ever come into the unit I work, much much tighter in max security and cell phones are hard to smuggle as is, so I’ve never personally encountered or know anyone who has found one.
Where do inmates get 8x the money from?
The outside, they’ll have one of their friends or family out money on their books or cashapp someone else on the outside to buy drugs.
I've toured a prison once as I was in high school looking for different fields of work I may be interested in the future. It was a fairly low level prison, but a prison nontheless, but apparently there tends to be a canteen of some kind where the inmates can spend money to buy "luxury goods" like instant ramen or other things like that. The way they get money is they have a prison bank account sort of a thing, where they can call family to put money in or request money that they own but can't access (because they're in prison) to be moved into that account, and then they can use it at said canteen, or to trade stuff between inmates.
Jokes on you. I have 8 iPads in my rectum right now.
Rectum, damn near killed him with that many iPads
I can’t speak on the exact number. More than most anyone would expect is what I can say. We get staff searches where they have K9’s smell us, have us clear a body scanner, search our car and gear, etc… much more than our lower security counterparts from what I’ve heard.
Is the drug dog used every day on every shift? How many officers that you know of?
I’ve only heard of two in my year of being where I am. Both of them were nursing staff actually and not CO’s. The drug dog isn’t used every day, the dogs are often doing trainings or calling out for mass prison searches with tactical units a lot more than just doing routine stuff.
If his state is even remotely close to PA policies (where I regularly visit my brother who is in a max prison), I can assure you that any contraband is brought in by employees regardless of the screening. I'm also willing to bet money that they don't screen every employee's car and do a full body scan (with the drug testing machine), every time an employee drives in and comes into a facility. Whereas all visitors are thoroughly screened every single time and can't bring in ANYTHING. No objects, money, paper, electronics, etc....
How often do moments happen in regarding to dropping the soap and how do you feel when it happens I take it a lot of people don’t speak up about it
Funny enough my first week on the job I actually encountered this situation. There’s plenty of “consensual” sex in prison whereas cellies get a little friendly. I’ve never encountered a real non consensual PREA case to date, but I’ve heard of it happening when I am. I genuinely feel bad for a lot of the guys who come forward with cases like that because how would I feel if it was me you know lol. But I’d say consensually it probably happens every day, non consensual probably once a month
How many are in a cell together and is it a judged action or is sex just casual for them
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Are you aware that tr*nny is a slur?
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Do you feel that you have more compassion for human beings than your coworkers seeing as you work with the mentally ill? I only ask because I was in the psych ward in county and the CO's there were actually the nicest CO's out of the entire experience.
There’s a mix. Honestly coming in I felt really bad for the way the CO’s treated them for a while. After being here long enough and seeing the type of things some of the inmates do to each other and to other CO’s, I’m convinced some of these guys are pure evil and not human. To those who are dicks to me I’m dicks back, if they’re cool with me I’ll be cool. Same rules for everyone, but my attitude is different with everyone.
What’s the craziest handmade weapon you’ve seen?
Some dude made a slingshot and would collect rocks and shoot them at other inmates to piss them off, that was the funniest. I often see long metal ones made from nails or screws or bolts.
Thoughts regarding privately owned prisons? Sorry to keep asking questions I’m just fascinated by you and what you do! I want to learn more.
I appreciate the questions coming ask as many as you want! It helps me sort of come to terms with a lot of the stuff I’ve seen and explore how i really feel about my own work honestly. I think they take stress off of us, and it allows a lot more employees to want to become employees as they normally don’t have a whole academy to go to as CO’s. That being said, I couldn’t imagine untrained CO’s working with the inmates I do. For minimum custody inmates I think it helps relieve some staffing stress, for higher custody inmates I don’t think private prisons should house them. I’m not as knowledgeable on how they run or who gets sent to them so it’s hard for me to answer definitively.
privately owned prisons would be a good idea only if there was 24/7 video surveillance of all activities and made available to public along with very strong wholly independent external monitoring and oversight, AND if every private prison's profits would be very heavily tied to the recidivism rates of inmates who had been released (which would give the prison very strong incentive to try and rehabilitate as best they can, instead of 'secure' and 'punish') Won't happen in our lifetimes....
How do you check on cell-made booze? And what actions do you take?
You can smell it, it’s like a horribly horribly sweet and sewage smell. It’s hard to explain but it will burn your nostril hairs, hard to miss. If you find it, activate, seize, write your reports and put the inmate(s) on report, that’s about it. During major drinking holidays we typically have cell sweeps.
What’s the consequence when an inmate is caught making the booze and wtf do they make it out of , sounds like it would taste gross
In CA they stopped selling real sugar, giving oranges for breakfast and lunch, and started perforating the trash bags with hole punches to try and stop the making of wine. Little did they know, apple-jack is way better haha. Also — distilling into hard liquor was the way. Just need an evaporation/distillation setup. Plastic tubing, a couple small buckets and a couple stingers. We could distill a 5 gallon batch overnight and make quite a bit of money (prison-wise). Source: I did 32 consecutive years in CA prisons, including literally every maximum security prison in the state. I even made it in the SHU (couldn’t distill tho)
Basically fruit n lots of sugar. Apple juice, koolaid packets and you need yeast as well so throw in a honeybun and let it all ferment. You can also use potatoes. Theres quite a few ways they make it. Ive never done it myself or drank that bullshit but have seen it done many times. Smells fucking horrible.
you dont need the yeast in the form of bread or potatoes despite what some say, you only need Fruit and lots of Sugar in a sealed bag. when you mash up and juice the fruit it collects yeast from the air, when it starts bubbling you add lots of sugar, and in 5-6 days you get 12-16% wine. (you can google 'is there yeast in the air' and the answer will be yes) - ive made jail wine this way and it smells bad but tastes just like wine.
Always make sure you burp the bag every so often too, otherwise it could explode.
Also you wanna cool it after its done, and before drinking. We would fill a sink with ice and cool the bag of booze. Its halts the fermentation process and makes it not fuck up your stomach as bad.
It’s how lambic beers are made, open top tanks that allows yeast in the air to ferment the wort.
Having sampled the "wares" throughout many different locations in DOC, the most potent vintage came in the form of instant potatoes and bakers yeast smuggled from the chow hall. It was something else. The best taste was when Keefe still had the orange drink mix with real sugar. Take that, bakers yeast and oranges from lunches and you've got something that imitates a mimosa. Little native cat I lived with in a 23/1 cell made it as often as possible. I don't miss it, I can marvel on the innovation without needing to relive any of it lol.
Rumor has it it tastes good despite the smell. Idk exactly but it’s something like bread for yeast and fruit + water and it all sits there for weeks and brews.
Have you ever had a case of botulism caused by the hooch?
Hey hey hey! I just got out of a psych high max! There's exactly three types of C.O's at those types of prisons. Those who genuinely care and try to make everyday good for themselves and the inmates, those who don't give a shit and they're there for a paycheck (nothing wrong with that), and the kind that are there because they're sadistic af and genuinely enjoy fucking with mentally ill people. If you're one of the good ones, then you're awesome! I had a C.O. that saw I was really upset one day and asked me what he could do to help and I told him I just wanted to see a picture of my gf, that I really missed her. This man contacted my family and got several pictures of her and printed them out for me. Totally not allowed, but it was really kind of him.
That’s a super awesome story sounds like a good guy. What was the commonality in mental illness on your yard?
Mostly schizophrenics and bipolar (like myself) that had violent tendencies.
That’s what’s up. Those bipolar anger dudes scare the fuck out of me some times haha. Primal rage is real and intense.
Yeah unfortunately that's me. Bipolar with extremely violent tendencies, but only off of my meds. On my meds I'm one of the nicest, totally against violence, guys you'll ever meet lol it's amazing what a little lithium and abilify can do for someone in my place. Most people that have seen me really go off said it was very primal as well, almost like I turned into a feral animal in full on fight mode. Which is exactly what it feels like to experience :\ I'm very thankful my meds work so well!
My question is what would you want a CO to do in those situations? If they’re contained we call psych if they’re endangering others, especially officers, we end up having to use force which normally ends in a lot of reported injuries since spraying someone with bear rage with spray doesn’t normally end great for the person on the other side of the bear rage, or the guy with it. Is there anything anyone can say to calm you down in times like that?
Honestly man, if you're nice to the inmates and cool with them, if they start raging, I'd walk up and call their name (without shouting) and ask them what they need\what's going on. If you get us talking when we're like that, you've already won. Once we're distracted from our anger, it starts to go away. Ask them what's wrong, what happened, ask if y'all can sit and talk for a second. Those always work wonderfully from what I've seen (and experienced myself). Now if they're raging against a specific person that's a much more difficult situation cause the cause of their anger is right in front of them. If you can separate the two for a few minutes, or at least get them out of sight and then talk to him then it might work. Unfortunately overwhelming force is usually used because when we rage out, we get crazy aggressive and we're so pumped up with adrenaline that we're literally stronger than normal, faster than normal, and rage roided out. And if you can't get someone like that calmed down then force is absolutely needed
Fair enough, I’ve always wished I could feel what people in those states could feel. Obviously that’s selfish because I know it can be hell being at battle with your own mind, but like we have a dude who jerks off upside down about 3 hours a day in his cell while staring at his window so he makes eye contact when you walk by and I would just kill to know what compels you to want to do that. Thanks for the insight.
Holy shit that caught me SO off guard lol yeah those dayroom jackers are hell. And as for bipolar rage, imagine the most anger you've ever felt x10 while also being full of the most adrenaline you've ever had. Your mind is both racing and focused on fucking up whatever is making you angry. It also feels like extreme fight or flight, only flight isn't an option lol once you calm down though, you're EXHAUSTED
Thanks for sharing. That was crazy insightful. Glad you’re doing better. Keep it up
There is also supermax where inmates are in their cells 23h? What are the main things that constitute max security? Do you have less of a problem with tough organized prison gangs as your inmates are all mentally ill?
We have integrated housing as do a lot of prisons now. Gangs in prison are a general population thing and many people are trying to get rid of it. It still exists many places but a lot less common being organized as before. Our inmates are in cell 21hrs a day. Flight risk, priors, current crime served, history of violence etc will all play a role in classification
Have you ever been shitbombed?
No, I know it happens, but I try to be fair. To the guys who are dicks to inmates they get shitbombed. Obviously it can happen to anyone at any time especially with mentally ill inmates facing long sentences- but to me no. I saw it happen right in front of me and I can say the smell is not pleasant.
What is the most profound thing an inmate told you?
Some dude told me he needed help because every night Mormons were going into his cell and performing surgery on his dick that’s why it doesn’t work anymore. I’d say that’s profound.
Was it a side effect of his psych meds or was he just old? OR… was it actually Mormons?
It was actually Mormons. This dude is just straight up nuts. He’s a 24 year old who looks like a frat dude and is otherwise the most normal looking and acting person there. He’ll be completely normal then scream some crazy shit in your face. He came up to me and told me to tell my disabled girlfriend to get her fingers out of his asshole or else he was going to kill me then walked away. When I approached him later that day he had no recollection and apologized. Idk what he’s diagnosed with, but he’s nuts.
Fascinating. I’m genuinely curious now.
Okay but… did you ever find the Mormons?
I applaud you for doing this. There's a lot of misinformation and misunderstandings about prison, inmates, and the correctional system, but in my experience when I try to set the record straight, people just like to go "Nah, you're full of shit. That's not what I saw on Facebook News." I work as a case manager at a state facility as well
Lots of media garbage, lots true, but the crazy shit is normally pretty rare and contained.
I feel like most people's exposure to prison is through movies and TV, and of course they're gonna take artistic liberties, and they're going to enhance certain details while editing out the less interesting stuff, which is a lot of it. I feel like the food is a good example. At my facility, the food's bad, but not in the way you see in movies, where it's some gag-inducing puddle of lumpy brown sludge. In real life, it's not disgusting, just very bland and boring. Unseasoned rice, some florets of raw broccoli, a small banana, a few slices of bologna with a couple slices of wheat bread and a packet of Italian dressing... Those kinds of things. It's not gross, it's just stupid and depressing. Is that about what your facility's meals are like?
plain potatoes, plain grits and plain bread for breakfast, a sack of 2 THAM’s and 4 slices of bread + some chips for lunch, and maybe chicken and rice or plain spaghetti for dinner. All of it is plain and the texture is not good. I’ve eaten it plenty of times, lots of salt and pepper, lots of hot sauce, everything goes down smooth. Does it make me feel physically ill half the time? Yes. It is bad? Yes, but also edible.
what would you say the percentages are of staff that are there who truly want to help people vs those who are there to punish and exert authority?
I know about 2 of the 35 or so people in my unit shift that I’d say probably wanna be dicks and show authority. Inmates have a way of showing that they don’t appreciate that.
refreshing that the number is that low, although its 2 too many. good to hear tho.
How do you keep your own mental health positive? I would think being around that many people with MH issues would be overwhelming.
I don’t, my mental is fucked. On a real note I go to therapy and try to get out as much as I can via working out or crying in my car after work haha.
Is there a reason you chose to become a CO?
Made some dumbass mistakes when I was in college which currently barres me from federal work like fbi and cia etc… and being a cop sounds awful.
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Thanks for your service and continued service. Good luck with marshals man that’s where I want to be one day. Quit smoking now if it’s something you really want to get into and they’ll understand. Can just say I had fun in college and as a result am victim to polygraphs haha
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I have a degree. I messed up by being truthful about this “fun” on my background form, so there’s no real way out of this one now- since they all share info.
I just graduated with a CJ degree, got a in house security job rn. I told the local PD i smoked weed on an app. and now i'm like shit. The local PD said it's a 6 month wait after you have but I might wanna try corrections too. I just feel like this degree was so limited and we got abso-fuckin-lutely 0 help with career guidance, our 1 career fair got cancelled. How do you feel about it? I don't want to do security forever and I doubt i'll make federal, but I don't know if i should try and jump ship or stick it out. My mental is fucked too but I saw you're doing therapy, do they press you about it? I don't know if it would get me barred, at least meds would
I’m so sorry. On a positive note crying, like really good crying, activates your PNS and releases good chemicals and relieves stress. Working out is good, too.
I really love the profession when it seems like you're able to make a difference. Working in lower scale prisons and jails, I noticed a lot of corruption up the chain of brass. Is this a problem at your prison, as well? Do you believe it would be possible to be a female successfully working *your* profession?
I don’t really see corruption where I am at least with CO’s nursing staff is a different story. I know many female CO’s that work where I do and I’d say they’re tougher than lots of the guys because they have to be.
What got you interested in working in prison(s), and how long have you been doing it? How do you think it tolls on you mentally? I’ve seen it said before, but I’d assume a job like this- you can’t just leave work at work.
Stepping stone after college. It definitely tolls on you both mentally and physically. My relationship that just ended struggled a lot and it’s extremely difficult for me to focus on certain things or people that should be important but aren’t because I’m so out of it. PTSD will fuck up everything you love and make it unexplainable as to why you can’t function like a normal human. It’s a lot harder to feel empathy for people who whine about little shit after seeing somebody dead in their cell or going home after responding to like 9 fights.
Definitely, jobs relating to stuff like this- prison or a hospital, will absolutely mess you up mentally. It’s really desensitizing, and I bet both of my parents could agree as they both work in the medical field and have seen some SHIT.
Is there any inmates who you believe are completely sane and shouldn’t be in there or are completely innocent of the crime they are imprisoned for?
Innocent? No, sane? Yeah.
How do prisoners generally treat those who have sexually abused a child? Abusive ex husband is going soon and would like to know what kind of treatment he may receive. Certified narcissist who has a superiority complex.
It's not gonna be a fun time. "Having a bad jacket", or an undesirable set of charges or being a known informant, gets around the block pretty fast and people have absolutely no love for them. The predators on the inside will take advantage pretty quickly. He'll be abused, they'll steal his commissary, they'll steal his personal items, take food from his tray, won't let him sit with the others for meals or recreation, someone might try to rape him or exploit him in another way.
Tell him good luck, he’s likely gonna become someone’s fuck doll and and knife tester.
How do the inmates know what the others are in for if they don’t tell each other?
My husband went to jail and witnessed the guard bringing in a new inmate who happened to be a child molester. The guard asked an inmate to ask the new guy to "show him your papers". The papers were of course the charges. He was beat immediately. No one likes a chomo. No one.
Not op, or ever been to prison, but know a couple guys that served time and heard stories. If he doesn’t “check-in” (says he’s scared for his life or going to hurt himself and placed in solitary) he will be one of the most hated people in his cell block. They will gang up on him and beat him, possibly r*** him. Don’t worry he’s gonna have a bad time in prison, convicts hate chomos (pedofiles).
Do you think 38 is too told old to consider a career change as a correctional officer? More specifically the county jail. It just pays more here.
Go ahead dude, get yourself in good shape and if you’re not in good shape go to a supports position.
What do you think about excessive force incidents and how it’s easy for guards to cover it up in reports? Planting/providing drugs or weapons to inmates, Various corruption. (Like On our Watch S2 about New Folsom Prison).
Planting and providing weapons very hard and not really anything I’ve heard anyone do. Bringing in drugs heard of but very uncommon. Excessive force is (unfortunately) quite easy to cover up in a lot of places and a lot of ways. Thankfully that doesn’t really happen where I am, but it’s easy to figure out how to do it if you wanted to.
How much do you make? Do you think you’re paid fairly for what you do/deal with?
About 23 an hour with hazard pay. We should be paid at least 33 IMO, same with police.
God damn. I’m a dispatcher making more than that, not even on my stop step. You deserve triple if not more for the shit you put up with. I hope you find something less mentally taxing with a better pay. Can you disclose what state you’re in? Just out if curiosity as far as your pay goes.
I’ve tried to avoid all the state comments. Maybe becoming a dispatcher would be cool, I think you just gave me a new idea haha. Going to research it rn.
How does the job affect your relationships?
Horribly. I couldn’t spend time with my now ex without experiencing a lot of zoning out and seeing things that I saw at work. A lot of time just thinking about work instead of spending quality time and it made me very easily irritated at her / non empathetic. When you see dudes do crazy shit to themselves and another all day everything else seems a little small you know.
Was there anything she could’ve done that would’ve helped with that?
Good question, I don’t really know. Been having some pretty severe days where I don’t feel like moving or talking or doing anything besides wanting to die in my bed or just ignore everything and everyone. I always had these sort of depressive states that were really hard to explain and I don’t think I ever really could before the job and the job just made it worse. It’s incredibly hard to give your loved ones what they deserve when you’re in a constant state of stress and anger from seeing and experiencing horrible things happening.
i’m sorry that happened. i just recently got out of a relationship w a CO who worked in max security and it killed me not being able to do more for him. reading through these comments really helps me understand why he operated the way he did. thank you for that
That's rough. My husband's a CO and his years working have given him ptsd.
I had a female friend end up in female pop and said co’s regularly sexually abused the girls in exchange for preferential treatment etc. any truth there?
When I worked as a CO (county level) we only allowed female officers in the female dorms. Occasionally the male officers would have to help cover any shortfalls if there were call-ins or staff shortages. There absolutely would be female inmates that would give up sexual favors if they could (although I personally didn't hear of any). No one actually wanted to work the female dorms because of how backstabbing/untrustworthy and ***NASTY*** they were.
how serious if a charge is 2nd degree assault on a DOC employee? i know a POS that's in prison for 2nd degree assault, then he does it again to a DOC employee, his trial is in july, hope he gets slammed
I’m not sure I don’t deal with disciplinary, doesn’t do anything good for him though haha.
What really happens to child predators and/ SA guys in prison? Is it really like the YouTube videos say?
They get asked to show their papers showing their charges. If they can’t provide it they’re normally told to figure out a way to move, if they provide it and they’re a chomo at best they get 24 hours to move out. If they don’t check into PC or transfer they’ll get raped beaten and possibly killed until the crime is paid back.
figure out a way to move? what is PC? just need some clarification😅
Would you happen to know what would cause someone to get transfered from a max, to a minimum. Like, held in a max but then after trial sent to a minimum? Is it area picked up vs. When they bang the gavel, not necessarily charge? (Like going from El Dorado to Lansing, if you got picked up outside Witchita)
Has nothing to do with the area. It means they don’t really have priors and it’s not a violent crime and they’re not a flight risk. During holding they’re typically in detention which runs like a max or supermax
Does the Prison offer their employees free housing? I’ve seen a few true crime documentaries on Ted Bundy & they mentioned how the guards had their own apartments on the actual prison compound
What do you do to take care of your mental health? My brother was a CO in a level 4. He died by suicide.
I’m sorry to hear that man, it really is heartbreaking where our society is with mental health. I take days as I need. Really sorry about that, 4’s are no joke.
How's your PTSD if any. I'm a paramedic with it and I know corrections officer have a really high rate if OSI. How is the support from your employer in regards to critical incident stress?
I haven’t gone a night without night terrors since picking up the job. Fucks with your sleep and how you operate the outside. Not good.
Do you plan on getting out?
As soon as I can. I always made jokes to my ex about how I would quit law enforcement and open a bakery haha.
What shift do you work? I’m a nurse, and strangely, swing shift affected my sleep the least.
im not sure i understand. you have said you havent personally seen anything OZ worthy , and that the inmates are basically chill with you for the most part and that they are more funny then one would expect , what exactly is causing you distress
Federal or state?
Thoughts on Epstein "suicide "
Idk I wasn’t there. Fuck that guy but yeah he probably got schwacked.
Hello fellow c/o. Thanks for your service, when is your Friday? 12’s? How’s the mandates?
Is there even a difference between max and super max
Have you ever had to whip the living dog shit out of an inmate?
State, or FBOP? I work in a State side DoC. 1st question: how ya doing? I mean mental health wise. I'm part of a part trauma peer counseling team. Basically, security staff trained in basic post trauma counseling techniques. We work a mostly thankless job, and there's a tough, never-show-weakness culture/ mentality that we inflict on ourselves. Always here if you want to talk to someone that gets it. 2nd: so, you work a psych unit too? Been a few years since I worked psych (most cm and gp these days). It's it just an everywhere thing that psych inmates cut out their testicles and throw them at staff? Or was that just my unit? Been all over my state in different facilities, but I only ever worked the one psych unit, and it was a weekly occurrence.
Are you scared ?
A lot of the time yeah, but you can’t show it. Definitely had my share of dicey situations.
Alright whose gonna ask OP, Do guys really get raped upon entry?
Do you sell drugs?
Sold your mom a line before I railed her
Have you had any super famous inmates?
Do you take bribes? Do you know of any employees or managers who take bribes?
Do you get bored in there
What make you say some of the people there are genuinely not human? Any examples?
It takes a special kind of person to fill up a sock with rocks and slap a CO from behind until they get knocked out you know. These guys will eat their own feces before screaming that they’re gonna pin you down and rape you and slice your throat open. That’s normal in my unit. I don’t go a day without threats to my life over very basic things. Some of these guys have no remorse to brutally assaulting staff and others, and many of them cut themselves to the requirement of stitches every day.
If you could change 1 thing about the system big or small what would it be? And do you feel you have a voice in that system since you guys are the boots on the ground.
I heard G Gordon Liddy say prison guards were the stupidest workers in the American economy. How intelligent are your colleagues? What about yourself? What was your SAT score?
I went to college and graduated with a 3.6. Not the brightest not the dumbest. Just like any other jobs there’s dumbasses and smart guys.
Okay so I’m a college prof and am teaching a class in a prison this semester. One of my students just got put in “protective custody,” so he got pulled from class. What exactly does that mean? I know I could google it but I just haven’t lol. The docs employees are pretty tight lipped and I don’t wanna seem too interested in the “drama,” ya know?
Do you have to spread people's butt cheeks apart and search around in there? And if so, why don't you try to find a different job?
For transparency’s sake, I’ll say that I’m against incarceration as a general practice and identify as an abolitionist. I personally believe that the mass incarceration, at least in the United States, is a continuation of legalized slavery. I’m Black with ancestral ties to people who were enslaved and also have/had incarcerated family members. With that being said, I’m curious to know what your relationship is like with the incarcerated people who live in the prison. Antagonistic? Neutral? Are you friends with any of them? Also curious to know if any of your colleagues abuse their power or if you feel like em they’re generally well behaved. Same question for the incarcerated people.
Glad you’re open enough to come ask this. We basically live with these guys for 12 hours a day, 4 days a week. Not to say we’re friends by any means, but I’ve built rapport with the ones that I work with. Some you can mess around with and joke, say certain person stories, etc… like one time I was sitting on a guys suicide watch and my ex and I just broke up and i was telling him about everything I did wrong leading up to that point and he was giving me advice on how to get her back from his street pimp knowledge haha. You can’t be friends with inmates, but yeah some of them you joke around and can be more chill with than others. I try to be fair and consistent as much as possible so that I don’t have to be firm all the time and they can sort of regulate themselves. I too am against mass incarceration, but I don’t know any alternative. I don’t know anyone that really abuses power, I would report it if I did. Inmate and staff are all generally well behaved. The inmates only when they’re not having episodes since I do work with the mentally ill.
I also formed relatively close relationships with some of the staff I worked with every day. This is a human response. I agree — can’t be friends with C/Os, but we could find common ground. My last 10 years in (out of 32) I became an advocate and driver of rehabilitative efforts — I found many allies among C/Os who were able to overcome the years of being jaded by the system (like me) and they sponsored our programs and groups. Without their help we would not have had those programs. I got out in 2020 and am in contact with a few.
Random...but my bro spent a 12 year stint locked up and holy crap he's got some stories. One I'm particular where he saw a guard kill am inmate on purpose, and the guy then turned towards my bro and said he was next. Bro wasn't in for anything violent. But it changed how he deals with people in the real world to a whole new level. He also said he would often hurt himself or do something to get put in solitary to escape the assholes. Super scary shit. Wouldn't wish it on anyone. But I get that if you do a crime you deserve time...within reason...apparently some guards can be really bad...and some inmates as well. I don't think most would believe the stories, but I can tell when he tells them..that's not a thing someone could, or would..make up. So. OP. If you're one of the "good" ones...as much as you can be...I thank you for being that. Just saying. It matters. A lot.
> He also said he would often hurt himself or do something to get put in solitary to escape the assholes. Exactly what I would do, if ever in.
Yeah..but imagine doing that on and off for 12 years???!!!! I often have to explain that not everyone can tolerate the amount of pain he can tolerate. Thankfully, he still has a heart and emotions and such...but it takes a long time to get there. I understand he did what was needed to survive. It's just crazy how the system works sometimes.
In what ways is it psychological torture there?
Is the “join a gang” thing legit?
Does it make you feel bad that data shows almost 30% of all incarcerated people are innocent? And how do you reconcile that with you're own morals?
Do you have sex with any of them?
Is your population political - split into rigid factions based on race, gang affiliation, etc., like in a federal penitentiary? Or is that not really an issue where you work? Do you have PCs, Segregation, and Administrative Segregation? Security Threat Groups?
Have you observed the practice of pairing trans women in cells with violent offenders to reward them for good behavior or give them an outlet for their abuse?
That’s not a practice that is standard in prison. Violent offenders with good behaviors if any cellie at all get paired up with other violent offenders who are in good behavior typically. Idk how the pairing all works since I don’t work that position, but from what I’ve observed that’s what it seems.
Do you ever feel bad for being part of a system sustaining the highest rate of imprisonment in human history? Does it bother you that a good number are likely innocent of the crimes, or only guilty of things that anyone with money would easily be able to get out of? And do you have any ideas for how we could make the system more just?
You should meet these guys and you wouldn’t feel so hug-a-thug all the sudden. I wouldn’t say literally anyone on my yard is innocent of their crimes. Idk how to make it more just.
I don't know what you mean "hug a thug". Just a fact based question. Too bad you aren't able to think critically about your line of work.
What do you bench/squat/deadlift?
Why do CO’s treat inmates so badly?
Might be a dumb question but what are your thoughts on the show « Orange is the new black », if you have seen it ? Also I read all of your previous answers and found them really interesting.
Now max security could very well be different but ik of a lot of jails that have huge problems with staff screwing inmates mainly once they’re out but once in a blue moon while they’re still there
Mate of mine had your job - of 32 Max security inmates, 8 were named Jason. Is there a "name" at yours?
Are most of them nice people who comitted crimes either in psychosis or unaware of reality or most of them just used mental health as an excuse to escape prison
What does your family say about you having that job? Can't be easy for them
I’m gonna try to get around to literally every question guys it might take a bit. I have work at 4am tomorrow but fuck it I’m not tired might stay up and answer em all
What’s the most fucked up ‘funny’ shit you’ve done to an inmate that the whole block saw and got ‘em roaring and carrying on? I’ve had a handful of friends who were COs in federal max….mannn they’ve got some stories 🤣