Blog #17: Working With Inmates

When I first started watching this video, I was amazed at so many different things.  You really give up so much while you are in prison, and sometimes you are never able to get out.  The first thing that completely shocked me was the story of the woman who's daughter died and she was not even able to go to the hospital or funeral to see her daughter.  I guess it makes sense, considering she was in jail for a serious crime, however I can't imagine loosing a child and not being able to be there during that time.  The relationships that started while in prison also shocked me, it's hard to believe that you get so attached to people that you are willing to give up what's best for you for another person while there.  The story of the two girls that fell in love in prison, and one was supposed to get out in 8 months while her lover would be in for 8 more years amazed me.  The girl who was getting out soon claimed that she would be back just so she could be with her lover.  They sacrifice everything for the life that they make in the prison.  The many different vocational activities and trades that you can learn while in jail is a very productive thing to do with the inmates.  Even if they don't ever get out, making them feel accomplished is a good way to improve spirits within the prison and possibly lower the outbreaks of violence.  I was very shocked to see the women who have been sentenced to life in prison, for the murders of their husbands, and they look so "normal".  People have a perception of inmates and how they are supposed to act, however that is not always true.  Inside the prison, it seemed like it's own way of life, from the loaning of money in the yard, to the sense of family that you end up feeling, it's amazing how people are able to adjust to that way of life, and make the most of it. 

Building a relationship with the inmates that you work with can be very dangerous to not only the correctional officer but also the other inmates.  If you build a sense of trust and friendship with someone that is imprisoned, they could talk you into allowing them to do inappropriate things or even smuggling drugs or weapons into the jail for them.  Now, this normally is not the case between inmates and correctional officers, relationships have formed in the past that has caused these type of problems.  If a prisoner has access to weapons or drugs they are putting themselves in danger of a longer sentence, or other inmates in danger because of the threat of violence.   

Many of the correctional officers have reported that they prefer to work with men because they are much less emotional.  This has been said to be a result of the training that they have received.  There is such a large threat with emotional breakdowns because you don't ever know what they are going to do.  With violent acts it's much easier to read the situation and understand how to calm them down.  There have also been conflicting views on how the inmates treat the women correctional officers.  Some have more respect for the women because they view them as a motherly figure, and some disrespect them at all costs because they don't like the "unnatural power reversal".  

Many correctional officers either have the idea that the inmates are animal like, and therefor should be treated with as little respect as possible because they are basically inhumane to them.  They do not treat them like humans that have committed a crime.  On the other end of the spectrum, officers view them as humans that deserve to have rights, and are just in prison because of a mistake that they had made.  African American and Latino officers often face problems concerning racism.  They often disagree with the prison system and many of the sentences because of their exposure to racism in the court system.   Although, many of the inmates are not racist towards one another, at least in female prisons, the sentences that they might have could be based on the fact that they are are a certain race.  Another problem that the minority officers might have is feeling bad for the other minorities in the prison and treating them differently.  Sometimes the correctional officers viewed the inmates with a very humanistic attitude and that in turn caused them to view them as children.  They feel a sense of responsibility for their well being and their success throughout their time in the prison.