In what is the seventh of a nine-part series, I outline what I call the “Corrections Formula,” an easy way to remember nine principles to optimize your success as a correctional officer.
The formula is designed to guide your thoughts, decisions and actions so you develop an operational mindset where officer safety is your top priority, professionalism is your foundation and legality is your path.
There are three elements of the corrections formula:
- Safety;
- Legality;
- Professionalism.
Each of these three elements contain three principles that make up the nine principles for success:
- Officer safety – Your top priority and your duty to yourself and your coworkers.
- Facility safety – Your duty to the communities you serve.
- Inmate safety – Your duty to those you have been entrusted to protect.
- Federal law – The U.S. Constitution, which shapes state law, major acts of congress and case law.
- State law – The laws and statutes of the state, which guide your facility’s operations and practices.
- Agency policy and procedure – The guardrails that keep you on the path of legality and in compliance with the law.
- Guardianship – Your purpose as a correctional officer and why you do what you do.
- Health and wellness – Maintaining both physical and mental wellness.
- Firm, fair and consistent –The golden rule in being the same professional every day.
This month we look at the seventh principle, guardianship.
the role of corrections in law enforcement
Corrections plays a vital role in the realm of law enforcement as the final step of the criminal justice process. We have been entrusted to uphold the law behind the walls. This runs deeper than being a “guard” or “jailer,” which is often what we are called. We don’t treat our career as a stepping stone into law enforcement, or a fallback job for washed-out cops who couldn’t cut patrol. As corrections officers, our role in law enforcement is unique, and our career should be recognized as a noble profession.
Understaffed, outnumbered and often managing dozens of inmates without the reliance of a firearm, we manage inmates through the power of influence, respect, courage and effective communication. It is a task that requires a special character with a unique skill set to do the job safely and effectively.
Our job isn’t to impose punishment, that’s for the courts to decide. Our role is also not to demonize and mistreat anyone, instead, it is to hold them accountable, keep them safe and perpetually attempt to influence change.
Corrections is an ever-evolving profession
As corrections officers, we wear many hats. We are the first responder to every crisis that occurs behind the walls: inmate suicide and suicide attempts, assaults, inmate fights, homicides, overdoses and sometimes riots. We are, at times, fill-in mental health providers and the only medical staff on site.
While we are disciplinarians, we are also teachers, role models and counselors for individuals who have lacked such role models in their life. We are not just guards, but guardians. Defenders, protectors and keepers, and not to forget warriors, who are tactically sound and equipped at all times to win every fight for a good cause.
The risks and rigors of our ever-evolving profession continue to increase, while the work of correctional officers still remains out of sight and out of mind. Our training and skills continue to adapt, fighting to stay in compliance with the changes and demands of our evolving profession.
The number of mentally ill inmates has risen to over 60% in our jails and over 50% in our prisons across the country. The heroin and opiate epidemic has created a revolving door to our jails with inmates at heightened risk for overdose and death, and now we are facing a synthetic drug epidemic that brings completely new challenges for officer safety.
However, the nobility of our profession is just as strong, if not stronger than it has ever been. We continue to serve objectively, reasonably and honorably.
Everything we do in the glasshouse we work in is scrutinized by the public – our words, our actions and our decisions. However, we continue to stay rooted in our purpose and operate in a way that is legal, professional and safe. Conflict is never personal, and our use of force is objective, reasonable, necessary and justified. We are not paranoid, but always prepared – guardians first and warriors always. The safety of our staff, officers, inmates and facilities is always the top priority. Everyone goes home – that is our motto.
We continue to watch over and care for all who have been kicked out of society, to include the most manipulative, dangerous and violent individuals. We continue to protect their rights, protect them from each other and protect our communities from the most damaging members of society. We do so because we believe in justice and that people who commit crimes should be held accountable for their actions so that our communities can live at peace.
While it is easy to fall victim to the jaded cancer often preying on us within the walls, we recognize when it is time to detach, look at the big picture and reevaluate. Every person and situation we face is different. A percentage of inmates are truly evil, but the majority are not. Most of the people who walk through our intake doors are at the lowest points in their lives; struggling addicts frequently making poor decisions. However, they are still people, and sometimes people we know and love. Every person has a story, so we meet people where they are at.
dIGNITY AND RESPECT
Through deliberate practice, we have learned that treating people with dignity and respect is not only vital to safe and effective operations, but also a true reflection of our character. We do not demonize. We leave our ego at the door, as ego and disrespect is one of the quickest ways to create a dangerous and unsafe situation.
As correctional officers, we don’t expect respect in order to give respect. We operate out of respect regardless, not because we respect an inmate’s crime or the behavior, but because we respect ourselves, our values, the situation, our agency, the badge we wear, the profession and purpose we serve.
We know a person cannot give what they don’t have, and when an inmate doesn’t even have respect for themselves, we can’t expect them to give it. Instead, with tact and strategy, we work to create trust with each interaction, finding what motivates that person and what is important to him or her. This is the foundation of influence and positive change, and it is only possible through actually caring. As a result, we then have the first step of reentry.
Corrections is the beginning of reentry
Yes, corrections and the corrections officers who work courageously behind the walls are the beginning of reentry. Ultimately, it starts with the person behind the badge making a difference and leaving people better off than the way we found them, fulfilling our intrinsic value of purpose and accomplishment for the greater cause. Sometimes giving people some dignity and respect who are at the lowest point in their life is the first step to true reentry that the criminal justice system needs. We try to correct through influence, helping individuals become safe and productive members of society once again.
We are not soft and naive nor hard, ignorant and arrogant. As guardians, we are both warriors and scholars – strong, skilled, knowledgeable and wise enough to use discretion to know when we are dealing with violent, hardened, manipulative and evil criminals, versus those who just made poor decisions. We fully understand that many aren’t going to change their ways, however, without hope, optimism and purpose rooted in service, we are only part of the problem. That is where faith in knowing we serve something greater than ourselves comes in to play. We let integrity, purpose and the nobility of what we do drive us toward our destination of success.
LEADERS OF INFLUENCE
As leaders of influence, each and every interaction has an impact and the opportunity to make a difference. With each mindful interaction, we’re curious, humble, confident and tactically sound without getting that confused with being judgmental and egotistical. We leave our ego at the door.
We know that one interaction can cause damage to the entire profession and discredit all we do. However, one simple interaction can also make a positive difference and impact the profession as a whole, helping us restore the trust and confidence that has been lost from some of the communities we serve.
Even if we reach just one person out of 100, and help change their life, we are making a difference, making our communities a better place and moving our profession in the right direction. Empathy, dignity and respect go a long way toward making operations safer and more efficient but reminding offenders that their past and the current situation does not have to define them.
We have the power of control, which is necessary at times, but more importantly, our power of influence is the most important tool we have. Our power of influence is built off a desire to solve problems and leave people better than the way we found them. We never miss a moment to make a difference and impact a life, as this is the heartset of many corrections officers. We are proud to be corrections officers and proud of our profession. Life is all about making a difference, and that is what corrections is all about.
