Working in corrections is a challenging profession that balances safety, security and an unexpected, yet crucial element, compassion. Every day, correctional professionals face individuals with difficult and often tragic backgrounds. This interaction presents an opportunity to make a positive impact but also requires setting firm boundaries to avoid crossing from a helping role into personal involvement. In this article, I’ll explore the complex balance between compassion and boundaries, how to maintain professionalism and how correctional staff can effectively support inmates without overstepping their roles.
Corrections as a purposeful profession
Corrections is more than just enforcing rules — it’s a purposeful profession that allows for positive interactions and opportunities for growth. Correctional staff serve as role models within a system that often lacks structure, providing an authoritative presence that can have a lasting impact on those in their charge. The professional challenge is to engage in these interactions with purpose, ensuring that one’s motivation to help does not shift into an emotional attachment or the unrealistic goal of “saving” an individual.
This sentiment was shared by a correctional officer who recently encountered a particularly difficult case involving a 12-year-old juvenile in a county jail. This officer, a parent herself, was struck by the young detainee’s circumstances, which involved serious charges. Her reaction underscored the emotional toll of the job and the challenges in finding the right balance between compassion and professional boundaries.
Helping vs. saving: Understanding the distinction
In corrections, professionals often come into the field with a desire to help. This motivation is vital; it’s what keeps officers grounded and gives meaning to their work. However, it’s essential to distinguish between “helping” and “saving.” Helping in this context involves guiding and supporting individuals through their current situation, empowering them to take responsibility for their own outcomes. Saving, on the other hand, suggests an attempt to take full responsibility for another person’s actions and their future — a role that’s beyond the professional’s scope.
Correctional officers must recognize that while they can make a meaningful difference, they cannot assume control over an inmate’s life choices or rehabilitation journey. The shift from “help” to “save” can lead to burnout, disappointment and boundary-crossing. Officers need to remind themselves regularly that their responsibility lies in providing effort, support, and guidance, but the outcome is ultimately beyond their control.
The role of boundaries in correctional work
Boundaries are crucial in any role that involves caregiving, but especially in corrections, where the dynamic is often complicated by manipulative behaviors from inmates. Correctional staff are expected to provide structure, enforce rules, and facilitate positive behavior — all within a framework defined by policies and procedures. Boundaries prevent correctional officers from becoming overly invested in the personal lives of inmates, which could lead to emotional fatigue and potentially jeopardize their professional integrity.
In my book “How to Succeed in Corrections,” I emphasize this balance by discussing the importance of boundaries in correctional work. Correctional staff must remain within their trusted boundaries when dealing with the inmate population. Staff must remember that the best way to help an inmate is through following the policies and procedures of the agency that governs their work.
One story shared in the book involved a counselor who reminded an inmate, “I don’t work for you; I work for the state.” This clear assertion of her role helped maintain her boundaries and prevented the inmate from overstepping, establishing that her responsibilities lay in her job, not in fulfilling the inmate’s personal requests. This example demonstrates the importance of setting firm boundaries to avoid manipulation, even when the professional’s instinct may be to offer help.
Maintaining objectivity through role awareness
Role awareness is critical for maintaining objectivity. Correctional staff must remember that while they may empathize with an inmate or a juvenile, their primary role is to serve the agency’s objectives. In this capacity, they provide guidance and structure within the facility but are not responsible for the personal choices or rehabilitation outcomes of inmates. The agency’s mission must remain the guiding force, helping correctional staff to avoid becoming emotionally entangled in their work.
For those in helping roles, it’s essential to stay “invested professionally, not personally.” This mindset allows correctional officers to engage with empathy and understanding without overstepping their roles. Objectivity does not mean indifference; it simply means acknowledging that the staff member’s job is to provide professional support within agency guidelines, not to fulfill a parental or savior role.
The value of positive impact within prescribed roles
While boundaries are essential, it is equally important to recognize the value of positive impact within prescribed roles. Correctional professionals are community leaders, whether they serve in a county jail, juvenile facility, or larger correctional institution. When officers engage positively and professionally with inmates, they create an environment where change is possible. These interactions are essential in promoting a rehabilitative culture within the corrections system.
In a recent Tier Talk podcast, Joe Pompono, a retired lieutenant from the Texas Department of Corrections, points out, “Our job purpose…is to provide public safety, promote positive change in offender behavior, reintegrate the offender back into society, and assist the victims of crime.” Pompono acknowledges that while correctional staff should engage with purpose, they must remain aware of their limitations. He encourages correctional professionals to provide structure, guidance, and reassurance to inmates within the boundaries of their roles. The primary responsibility lies in providing support and structure, but not in bearing the emotional burden of inmates’ personal challenges.
Guidelines for emotional boundaries
To maintain emotional boundaries in corrections, professionals should take steps to ensure they are aligned with their prescribed roles. Here are some practical guidelines to help correctional staff maintain these boundaries effectively:
- Define your role clearly: Remember that your primary role is that of a correctional professional, not a parent or friend. Every interaction should be filtered through this professional lens.
- Limit personal investment: While it is natural to feel empathy, avoid taking on the emotional responsibility for an inmate’s actions or outcomes. Allow yourself to care within the boundaries of your role, but don’t become personally invested.
- Focus on effort, not outcome: Your job is to offer guidance, support, and structure, not to guarantee outcomes. This shift in focus can reduce the pressure and help maintain boundaries.
- Engage in self-reflection: Regularly assess your motivations and ensure you’re staying within your professional role. Ask yourself if you’re becoming overly involved and remind yourself of the limits of your responsibilities.
- Seek peer support and mentorship: Discuss boundary challenges with trusted colleagues or mentors. Corrections work can be isolating, so having a support system can help you maintain your perspective.
- Prioritize self-care: Recognize the emotional toll of correctional work and make self-care a priority. Taking care of your own mental health can help you stay resilient and maintain boundaries.
Embracing positive interactions within limits
While it’s essential to set boundaries, correctional staff should not shy away from positive interactions with inmates. These interactions are a vital part of the rehabilitative process, helping to model respect, empathy, and structure. Officers should not fear creating a positive impact simply because they worry about crossing a line. Instead, they should approach each interaction with awareness, knowing that they can make a difference without compromising their professional boundaries.
Pompono and I agree that it’s possible to be a positive influence within the corrections system, so long as officers are mindful of their role. For many staff members, their most memorable stories come from moments of positive impact—times when they offered guidance that genuinely helped an inmate make a better choice. These experiences are valuable and should not be discounted; they reflect the power of positive interactions when they are conducted professionally.
Conclusion
Correctional work requires a delicate balance between compassion and professionalism. Correctional officers may occasionally struggle with this balance, particularly when they feel personally impacted by an inmate’s background or circumstances. However, with awareness, role clarity, and a commitment to professional boundaries, correctional staff can provide meaningful support within their prescribed roles.
Compassion is an essential component of corrections, but it must always be tempered with an understanding of one’s limitations. Correctional professionals are there to offer guidance, promote positive behavior, and support an environment conducive to rehabilitation. In embracing this role, they can make a lasting impact on individuals within the system, all while maintaining the boundaries necessary to protect their own well-being.
It’s okay to connect with inmates on a professional level and to provide guidance within the limits of one’s role. The focus should remain on professional effort, not personal outcomes. With this balanced approach, correctional professionals can continue to serve as role models and community leaders, offering hope and structure while staying firmly within their prescribed roles.
Corrections1 is using generative AI to create some content that is edited and fact-checked by our editors.
