Military Police

His first experience within the field of criminal corrections resulted from a random duty assigned by the US Army. He learned to manage job stress while earning a steady paycheck and qualifying for an early retirement pension. Career satisfaction was achieved by helping to provide public safety while always living up to his moral code. 

FAMILY BACKGROUND

BG was the middle child among three children. His father was a maintenance worker in a New York commercial ‘skyscraper’ – the famous Chrysler Building. With 77 floors, it’s the tallest building in the world with a brick exterior and steel frame. BG’s mother was a homemaker. 

CHILDHOOD THOUGHTS OF AN ADULT CAREER

Looking back, BG recalls his only childhood dream of an adult job was to be involved in law enforcement, probably as a police officer. 

SCHOOL DAYS

BG graduated from an urban, Catholic high school. College was not considered due to lack of the required finances. 

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION – NOW WHAT?!

A friend of BG suggested that with no jobs of immediate interest, that they both enlist in the Army. BG enlisted – a three-year, active-duty commitment – but his friend decided not to enlist. (Editor’s note – it is unlikely that any branch of military service would guarantee that friends could serve together during some or all their active-duty assignments.)

MILITARY SERVICE

One choice then available to BG was to select a general type of military occupation specialty (‘MOS’) from among multiple options (e.g., infantry, tanks, artillery, food service, e.m.t., heavy equipment maintenance, law enforcement). BG chose ‘law enforcement’ which gave the Army the option to assign BG to either Military Police (MPs) or Corrections. BG was assigned to ‘Corrections’ (years ago, referred to informally as ‘Prison Guards’ but now ranging from Correction Officer to administrative positions such as Deputy Warden and Warden). 

The Army is a Federal agency so its Correction Officers staff Federal ‘Correctional Facilities’ consisting of Federal Penitentiaries (for inmates serving sentences due to violence and/or a minimum of at least 12 years) and Federal Penitentiary Camps (for non-violent offenders serving less than a 12-year term.) BG was first assigned to a famous, medium security Federal Penitentiary (1250 inmates in the penitentiary, 250 within its adjacent camp) as an entry level Corrections Officer, whose daily responsibilities included walking / working among the inmates in multiple storied, cell ‘houses’ – interacting with inmates who were either behind their cell bars or in open areas such as recreation and dining facilities. BG’s initial duties also involved overseeing the prison facilities from various towers. 

EARLY CAREER CHOICE – WILL I BE A PROFESSIONAL?

(Editor’s note – There are good and bad (professional and unprofessional) personnel within every career, including – alphabetically – accountants, car salespersons, childcare, coaches, doctors, home remodelers, lawyers, ministers, police, politicians, priests and rideshare drivers, etc., etc. The choice of whether to be one of the good ones or one of the bad ones is especially critical when dealing with the health and safety of others within your control or influence, such as prisoners. Correction Officers can easily get comfortable treating those under their supervision with excessive force and /or verbal abuse. Good corrections officials don’t stoop to the level of the worst prisoners.) 

Early on, BG took seriously his duty to treat prisoners with respect and only use physical force if required for self-defense or to protect the safety of others. 

Good corrections officers follow the credo: “Once you get them restrained, everything stops.” In other words: your job is not to win the fight but only to restore order and document any situation requiring a report for potential follow-up action. 

A related legal and moral issue is: What is the duty of a Corrections Officer or Corrections Administrator, who observes abuse (physical or verbal) of an inmate by a fellow Corrections Officer? Formal training includes the requirement to report all misconduct to a superior in management but in practice, a one-time, relatively minor incident (e.g., Officer yells back at an inmate or pushes the inmate into his cell) is often ‘handled’ later by the observing Officer reminding the offending Officer, privately, that such misconduct cannot be tolerated and a further incident, even if relatively non-serious, will have to be reported. 

Fortunately, BG never compromised either his morals or his formal duties. 

CHALLENGES FOR CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WITHIN ANY PRISON

Prisons / Penitentiaries / Jails – whatever you call them – especially those housing inmates with histories of violent crime, are dangerous and stressful places to work. Gangs and concealed weapons are constant threats. As BG has noted: “Alpha males don’t mix well.”

BG coped by ‘adapting’ to the environment. Understand the location of dangerous inmates and places within the facility; encourage a positive, supportive team approach with partners assigned to work with you; don’t incite violence by being a violent person, yourself. If an inmate yelled / cursed at BG, BG would decline to yell back, telling the inmate: “When you calm down, we’ll talk.”  

CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS ARE EMPLOYED BY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND PRIVATE BUSINESSES

Following BG’s Honorable Discharge at the conclusion of his three years of military service, he returned to the city where he grew up and immediately applied for employment within several government departments: city police, state police (“Troopers”), sanitation and corrections. BG decided he would accept the first position offered by any government agency. He passed all the required physical, mental and background tests and waited for an opening, which was first presented by the city’s corrections department. 

The large city’s corrections facility was a smaller version of a penitentiary. BG’s duties were essentially the same as his previous corrections job but involving many fewer inmates. He entered the workforce as a Correctional Officer and eventually was promoted to Counselor, then Supervisor. 

Having lived and served in one of America’s largest cities for most of his life, BG began to consider moving his career to a slower-paced lifestyle within a rural or suburban setting. With his prior Federal facilities’ experience, BG was able to secure employment as a Correctional Officer in a semi-rural area, within a Federal maximum-security penitentiary. Commuting to work each day involved a short car ride instead of a crowded, urban mass transit system.

After 13 years within the ‘max’ facility, BG went through a difficult time within his personal life – a divorce – and decided to return to his roots within his home city, where he quickly found employment with a promotion: in charge of Corrections with 300 prison personnel (correctional officers, maintenance, kitchen, etc staff) reporting to him. In this capacity, BG wore a suit and rarely interacted directly with inmates, excepting emergencies with ‘all hands on deck.’

Federal employees within the corrections system are required to retire at age 57, at which time they begin to collect full pension benefits for life. This early retirement presents the opportunity to collect a second paycheck while employed within the private business world. BG accepted a corrections job within a privately owned prison in Florida, where he served as Deputy Warden for 2 ½ years. That company then transferred BG (with his new wife) to their private facility in Texas, whose confined population was mostly illegal immigrants. 

When the Texas facility was closed, BG learned from a friend about an employment opportunity in a different state, as one of two Deputy Wardens in a relatively small, suburban county prison. BG’s responsibilities were to supervise ‘operations’ consisting of maintenance, food service and education. After a few years, the local political winds shifted, leading to a change in overall prison administration, resulting in the replacement of all the prison employees. So, finally, BG decided to retire from all employment to work with his wife in her – now their – new business based in their home. 

CAREER SATISFACTION – PERSPECTIVE FROM SEVERAL DECADES

While serving as a Corrections Officer mingling daily with the inmates may be dangerous and stressful, BG concludes that such jobs are secure, offering retirement and a pension at a relatively young age. Stress can be controlled if its causes are recognized and dealt with, rather than avoiding dealing with them. 

In some geographic areas, careers within prisons are one of few opportunities for employment. From BG’s personal knowledge and discussions with fellow officers and administrators, it seems that especially in rural areas, there are many former farmers now working as corrections personnel inside the local prison walls. 

If you believe in your mission to help keep society safe and you try to do your best while living up to high moral standards, working within the corrections system can lead to career satisfaction. 

OVERVIEW OF CAREERS IN CORRECTIONS

• Juvenile Corrections Officer
• Police Officer
• Probation Officer
• Crime Scene Investigator
• Game Warden
• State Trooper
• Forensic Scientist
• Criminologist
• Security Officer
• Loss Prevention Agent

The internet provides many advertisements by schools and other organizations which provide courses leading to degrees or certifications in law enforcement, specifically the field of ‘Corrections.’