they were never subjected to the outside elements for searches. It was pretty obvious their safety and welfare were placed above ours.
Upon finishing the entry procedure to the facility, we all assembled in a small room adjacent to the lieutenant’s office referred to as the lineup room. This was where the oncoming shift lieutenant would discuss all possible problems or pertinent information to all the staff prior to going on shift. The room was not very large with several chairs lined up around the walls. We were required to stand during this time with our hats on our heads. The lineup normally took fifteen minutes in order for us to relieve the outgoing shift on time. It amazed me and the staff that the unit would use some of this important time to bring in vendors from the community, such as insurance agents from outside to offer us more insurance.
This delay would take longer than normal and sometimes caused us to be late relieving the outgoing shift. During lineup and other activities, the captain, lieutenant, or the sergeant would announce all work assignments for each officer in the lineup. We normally had less than forty officers per shift to control and provide security to an inmate population near one thousand. This was a poor officer to inmate ratio considering how extremely dangerous this job could become in the blink of an eye.
If a fight, disturbance, or assault erupted in an area with only a few officers present, this situation could become out of control before other officers came running to the scene for assistance.
If more officers were assigned to each work position, the situation could quickly be controlled and possibly without injury.
Early one morning, I was assigned to the ABCD dormitories. I just completed the morning count of all inmates in the dorms and relayed the inmate count to master control. While in the process of inventorying all security equipment for shift change—handcuffs, leg cuffs, black security boxes, flashlights, water shutoff keys, batons, and radios—it was announced over the unit PA system that all areas needed to conduct an immediate recount of all inmates in the prison. This, by far, was the one most important aspect of our job—to ensure that there is an accurate count of all inmates assigned in our area. If the count does not clear over the entire prison, all things are placed on immediate shutdown, and neither shift coming on duty or leaving was allowed to exit the prison until the unit count was corrected and cleared. This was not an unusual occurrence, for recounts happen in the prison environment quite frequently. Recounts are necessary due to security reasons. This procedure required by policy was necessary to ensure that at no given time were any inmate(s) unaccounted for due to possible escapes, transfers, hospital visits, work assignments (such as in the kitchen), or for any other reason. Recounts were often performed because inmates love to play cat-and-mouse games with the staff. Inmates would often hide during these counts just for the fun of it, knowing it caused staff problems. They would be given a write-up if it was proven they did it on purpose. This was quite difficult to prove most of the time. Official counts were completed at least three times per day and more if the need arose.
The count finally did clear. All security equipment was accounted for, and the normal operations of the day began. In the next few minutes, the officer assigned to feed would start to call inmates to the dining facility for the breakfast meal. Each dorm was called to the dining facility until the entire inmate population had been fed. This also included all special-diet inmates who normally ate first or last.
The entire feeding process normally took a little over one hour if the dining facility did not run out of the proper amount of prepared food. This happened on a regular basis. Inmate cooks prepared and cooked all the food for every meal served. To the inmate, it was no problem to be slow or to prepare food for inadequate or improper preparation because they felt they had all the time in the world, and we the staff were on their time schedule. The main cooks usually had pride in their work; however, the average cook and dining facility worker did not want to be in the kitchen, and this was evident in their behavior and attitude every day. The dining facility manager had a difficult time trying to keep good cooks and kitchen workers at all times. He spent more of his time hiring and firing inmates in the kitchen on a daily basis. Inmates were master thieves and notorious for stealing anything that was not tied down. The dining facility manager was always writing reports on inmates and placing them in segregation for stealing food and other items from the dining facility. The dining facility was often referred to as the house of thieves.
Upon the completion of feeding breakfast and if the weather was normal and visibility was given a green light by the officers on all manned gun towers, the yards were opened for the inmates to go outside on the yards to purchase items from the canteens and for recreational purposes.
When inmates had completely exited the dorms to the yards for recreation, schools, and jobs, the assigned dorm janitors for each dorm would begin to clean the showers, bathrooms, sleeping areas, and hallways and empty the trash. That particular morning, I noticed a dorm janitor lying on his bed and not cleaning his assigned dorm area as he was required. I approached him and asked him why he was lying down and not cleaning on his assigned job.
His response to me was he did not feel like it and that he was not going to clean or do anything today. I again explained to him in a fair but firm manner that he needed to start cleaning. He became agitated and started using vulgar profanity, shouting out loudly. He then made the mistake of telling me he was not working for the second time. He then explained to me that he was in prison for a life sentence without the possibility of parole, and nothing, including me, was going to make him do anything. I again explained to him in a normal tone of voice that disobeying an order would only make his time harder and that he should think before he makes bad decisions.
He then stated, “Let me tell you something. You all locked me up for life without parole and put me here.” I had heard enough! I quickly warmed to the subject at hand. I immediately placed the inmate in restraints (handcuffs) and explained the facts of life to him like a father would to his child. I wanted him to fully understand where I was coming from, so I had him sit in a chair, and I started to explain to him where I was coming from. I told him, “It was your decision to carry out the crime you committed. I was not present. The family members of your victim[s] who you mentally hurt were not there. Your life sentence belongs to you and you only. No one else. You must learn to accept and do your time. No one can or will do it for you. The sooner you realize your life sentence belongs to you and no one else, the sooner you will be able to adjust and deal with it.
“As far as your life sentence without parole is concerned, I want you to understand that I had nothing to do with it. You can only blame yourself. Your amount of time is your time. I did not give it to you. I was not on your jury, and I certainly was not your judge. However, in the position as a correctional officer, I am not here to punish you for your crime. The courts have already done that, but I am here to ensure you abide by the policy and procedures of this prison, abide by the rules and regulations, and extend protection and safety for you at all times.”
In a few minutes, as he sat and stared at the wall, he started to de-escalate and, in a normal tone of voice, asked me if I was going to write him up on a report and place him in segregation for disobeying an order. I could have locked him up for violations of disobeying an order, stopping work, and using profanity towards a correctional officer. As a correctional officer, you must learn to be “firm but fair.” I informed him that I was going to give him a warning at this time on the condition that he not cause any more issues and he complete his assigned duties, but I also at the same time was very determined to drive my point home. I informed him that I needed him to think hard concerning our conversation today and the consequences that he could face for that type of unacceptable behavior. I explained to him that respect is not given; it is earned. He nodded his head and, without hesitation, stood up. I removed his restraints, and he went straight back to his dorm and cleaned up as required. I never had an issue with this particular inmate again; however, there were many more like him in prison who needed to understand that the officers and the correctional staff were not there to punish them. They had been punished already. Their time in prison belonged to them and them only, and it was
