I work the day shift so I am up and at work before the sun
is even up. When I arrive at the prison,
I walk through security and head to shift briefing where we are given any
information we need for our shift. Things
like what fights have taken place, medical emergencies, or threats of violence
we need to be on the look out for.
After shift brief, we head to our assigned units, get our tools (OC,
keys, and radios) and relieve officers from the previous shift and begin tier
checks. Tier checks are meant as a way
to make sure the offenders are safe as well as keeping an eye on them to make
sure they aren’t doing anything they aren’t supposed to be doing like
tattooing. It is also a time the inmates
can ask us for things they need like different forms or information they may be
looking for. Most areas of the prison
have hourly tier checks where other areas, like segregation, have half hour
checks.
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| This is not from my facility but is an example of what our tiers look like. |
Between tier checks, we have hourly movements. This is where inmates that are medium or
minimum custody are allowed to move around the facility for things like
classes, recreation, or work. We hold
the door during this time as well as having postings throughout our units and
the building. This way if a fight kicks
off or somebody is where they don’t belong, there is an officer presence to
take care of it.
The inmates are fed on an early schedule so breakfast is
usually about half done when day shift arrives.
We start rec movement for the areas that have morning rec after
breakfast is complete. The inmates have
to be searched before and after rec in order to prevent any exchange of
contraband (anything they aren’t allowed to have like drugs) but really does
little to stop those determined to get things moved around. They always have places to hide things that few
officers are willing to check. It
is usually just a quick pat down and
more often than not, things get missed.
A couple of hours into our shift, we feed lunch to the
inmates and then start count. Count is
exactly what it sounds like, we are counting the inmates. We mark down how many people are in which
cells and fill in “out counts” for those that are in other areas like work,
rec, or worshipping. All the paperwork
is taken down to the shift commanders who then verify all the information to
make sure nobody is missing or in an area they are not supposed to be.
Sometime during this time, we also have to do cell
searches. Each cell is required to be
searched a minimum of once a month. We
pick a cell and head in to perform what is supposed to be a thorough search of
everything in the cell. Some officers
do a horrible job and finish in less than 5 minutes but in reality, a real
thorough search should take no less than an hour and up to two depending on the
amount of stuff an inmate has. They have
a limit on what they are allowed to have but many tend to push each limit as
far as they can while others don’t even attempt to stay within those
limits. When that is the case, we
confiscate anything more than what policy allows.
During a cell search, we are looking for contraband. The most common we find is tattoo
paraphernalia (anything related to tattooing) and porn. The porn is a touchy area (no pun intended). They are allowed to have scantily dressed
women but it cannot so certain areas so it is really up to the officers
discretion if it falls within policy or not.
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| Example of a prison built tattoo motor. |
The big things that officers want to find are things like
drugs or weapons. Those are usually
hidden very well and rarely in a cell.
The inmates want no possibility of it being traced to them. They can be hidden in the rec yard, the day
room, or throughout the unit in common areas so those must be searched as well,
usually by the night crew. These guys not
only get creative with where they hide things, but what they use for weapons. I have seen a shank made out of toilet
paper! They also have been known to use
lunch trays, tooth brushes, and even jolly ranchers. If these guys used their creativity for
positive things on the outside, I am positive they would be rich.
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| Example of some shanks. |
Anything we take from an offender must be logged on a
confiscation sheet and sent to property.
If the inmate wants to fight what we have taken, they deal with property
on that matter. We are expected to keep
the cell in as good or better shape as it was when we entered. Some officers just throw things around and
that only upsets the inmates and furthers their feelings that it is us against
them. Things get tense when that happens
and we are more likely to have fights or assaults on staff when that happens
and it really isn’t that tough to search a cell and leave things decent, most
of the time anyway.
As well as feeding, standing for movement, and cell
searches, we also handle handing out mail, library books, and basic supplies
like toothbrushes, soap, and toilet paper.
We escort inmates down to medical, to their case managers, and to
visitation. Visitation is still face to
face so a huge amount of contraband comes through visitation so we have to
perform unclothed body searches on the offenders after each visit. They know this so they tend to swallow or *ahem*
stuff items where the sun don’t shine in order to not get caught. We also have to watch for other sneaky things
they may be doing like pleasuring each other.
Not allowed in visiting, especially with kids around yet some will use
their own kids as a shield to not get caught.
Trust me, most of these people should NOT be parents!
By the end of shift, everything must be documented. If an inmate gets in trouble, there are
reports for that. If an inmate feels
threatened, there are reports for that.
If we see anything out of the ordinary, there are reports for that and all
paperwork must be completed and sent to the right person before you leave for
the day. Sometimes when the days are
crazy, we end up staying long after our shift just to finish up paperwork and
no, we don’t get paid overtime. We get
comp time that is almost impossible to get the approval to take and if paid
out, it is seen as a bonus and taxed so heavily that you are actually paid less
than your hourly wage so it is so not worth it.
Officers are usually very excited to leave and will dash out
the door the minute relief arrives.
Dealing with whiny inmates, horrible smells, and tons of paperwork can
wear on you. About once a month, we also are expected to work overtime which comes out to be about 4 hours so you will either stay late for 4 hours or come in 4 hours early and once again, it is only counted as comp time and nobody gets too excited about that.
The days can be long and stressful, but it is still a great job. Seeing these guys change (some of them) and go home is awesome. I tend to joke around with the inmates and that makes long days seem just a little bit shorter. You work with great officers and become friends with wonderful people. Its tough and dangerous but I love this job. It isn't meant for everyone, but it is for me. I just wish the pay was better.
