Radio traffic

We had an inmate PC up yesterday.  What that means is that he was threatened and could no longer live on the tier.  The first officer (we will call him officer A) to talk with the inmate was not able to get any names from him.  I began speaking with him and was able to get a name out of him.  I had an idea of who it was any way and it turned out to be true.

So, officer A began the paperwork to have this inmate moved while I began our much needed tier checks.  None of us had ear pieces in at the time as it was after dayrooms were closed so we don't tend to wear them at that point.

Just as I was on the tier belonging to this particular inmate and just so happened to be walking past the cell belonging to the inmate that threatened him, officer A got on the radio and announced that the inmate was PCing up and which name he had named.  Think about that for a minute.  One simple sentence just put the life of this inmate in danger.  The inmate he ratted on is a heavy in a gang.  He will spread the word and this inmate will not be safe anywhere.  Officer A is a veteran officer.  He has been working in this prison for nearly a decade.  He knows better.

I simply got onto the radio and advised him of where I was.  He knew immediately what he had done.  Only time will tell what will become of it.  Hopefully he was not heard, but I highly doubt it.  These guys have nothing better to do than watch us and listen, especially when they know something is going on.

You work in a prison!

I have been seeing a trend lately that really worries me.  This trend seems to come from naive people,  mostly new C/Os as well as many case managers.  So what is the trend?  Trust.  Too much trust.

We work in a prison.  The guys aren't here for being upstanding citizens.  Some made some minor mistakes but most have made a life out of crime.  Many are deadly and usually the most deadly are the ones that come across as innocent because they are so great at manipulation.  They manipulate you to get information and even contraband at times.  They seem so sweet but underneath they are rotten to the very core.  It's tough to tell which ones are rotten at times.  You MUST keep your guard up at all times.

What makes this worse is not only are you endangering yourself, but others.  I have seen many C/Os and case managers release personal information to inmates about other C/Os that could easily get them killed, or even their families.  Why?  Why in the world do you find a need to release personal information about other people to dangerous inmates?  Are you trying to be friends with them?  If so, you are working in the wrong place.

You chose to work in a prison.  That means you are choosing a dangerous life, but no need to make it more dangerous for those you work with.  Don't release information you don't need to.  DO NOT put the lives of your co-workers on the line because you are lonely and want to feel liked by these guys.  If you are that desperate, you need to find a new career before you get someone killed.