I thought this was a very informative session. No matter what someone is going into, they can get someone's prospective of what it is like in the correctional facilty. I thought I knew what I wanted to go into, but after hearing them talk, I actually am considering going into being a correctional officer. I like to help people and possibly motivate them into possibly wanting to better themselves. I already put in my application. We will see.... hotfox003
This was one of best informative session realing telling us students what incarcerating is like without super coding the truth from us. I thought it was going to be the hardships as well and had a bias mindset of prison and this talk had my mind at a 360 degree turn as well. Very helpful into understand how these correctional officers work as well as understanding the inmate life as well as both are counteractive going hand in hand to some degree also giving details as t what people may pray on or even how for correctional officers that inmate may have the backs of COs more than other correctional officers working along side of this person. Eagle001 Eagle002
My thoughts for the correctional speaker who spoke to the class today was an eye opening experience this was eye opening due to the fact, of what exists for inmates in terms of being transported from prison to prison or for the oppuritinies they have once inmates show good behavior inside of the correctional facility. Such as being able to obtain a job in the outside word for those going through the Illinois Department of Corrections or being able to go out and see their families on weekends or being able to see them during holidays as well. What was interesting about this experience as well is hearing details of correctional officers maintaining control in order for other inmates to be able to enjoy their phone calls to their loved ones. Which for inmate this is their chance for contact with those they care about and may help that inmate receive the moral support they need in order to be able to cope with their lifestyle since they will not have access to the free world. Also what Peoria is doing as well in their downtown correctional program makes a difference as well stating that they want inmates to go out into the working job and obtain an earning giving them a set amount to spend over the course of two weeks this also helps to pay for the cost incarcerating the individual, as well as this, can be costly to the community as a whole if this is coming from taxpayer dollars. Which also giving inmates the tools they need to be successful such as schooling after they serve their time, due to the fact by reducing the sentencing for inmates for two years by going through this job program this helps this individual to achieve a positive mindset and move forward so that they may have their time with family and other cared ones as they used to in the past. Reducing the chances as the staff supervisor put it gives impurities to people that would never have a chance if programs such as these didn’t exist. I also think what is beneficial about the Illinois Department of Corrections program is that the fact that this is also very financial stable for the Correctional Officers as well this kind of finical earnings can help the officer stay with the stressful and boring job as they may not be accustom to the requires that this job will have the correctional prodigals and policy and may not always feel they are doing the right thing when they are dealing according to orders, policy’s or maintain the security of the felicity at large. There is also chances of promotions within working at the facility also the change to continue an individual’s education as well to show that they are wanting to achieve a greater performance to better themselves in their working environment. This job also is formal in their ability to ensure someone of their current application process if it’s being processed or if the application is conformed this was very formal and helpful getting this oppurninty. Eagle001 Eagle002
The IDOC shift supervisor and ex-convict shared many interesting stories and points I would have not have learned from reading my criminal justice books. The first thing the IDOC shift supervisor mentioned was that on his first day of working, he had no idea what to do, but the inmates helped him out by telling him where to stand, who to look out for, etc. Before this story, I had the mentality that it was the corrections officer versus the prisoners. From the supervisor I also learned that if you communicate you can do corrections. It cannot be stressed enough how vital communication is, especially as a corrections officer. The supervisor emphasized all of the pay benefits of working in corrections. The former inmate also said at one point being a corrections officer was like being a “glorified babysitter” (which could fall along the lines of being the turnkey in correctional officer personalities). The ex-convict spent the first few minutes of his time talking about the mental health issues and stupidity in other inmates he dealt with while in prison. He also talked about how there needs to be more diverse correctional officers. He told us the story of how the white correctional officers did not understand the hair product black inmates needed for their hair. The diversity of gender and race in jails and prisons can solve a multitude of problems. Jails and prisons are diverse, so the staff should represent the jail/ prison population accurately. The ex-convict was very wise and knew he consciously made a bad decision at the age of 19 years old, but he believed he should not have had to spend 13 years in prison for it. I was surprised how much less time the other person involved (the person receiving the drugs) had to spend in jail. He mentioned he actually only smoked marijuana three times and he just wanted to sell the marijuana to get money. He had a problem with greed, not drugs, but he mentioned he spent time in rehab so he could go to the work release center. He should not have had to spend 13 years in prison to fix his “drug problem.” Inmates who are in prison for an actual drug issue should not have to spend that amount of time in prison to “fix” their drug problems either. We need to spend time making sure all of the violent/ dangerous offenders are locked up. I was surprised that he mentioned that violent offenders are easier for correctional officers to handle because the violent offenders have more respect. After explaining his reasoning, I agreed with him. Another thing the inmate mentioned that I thought was important was the recidivism rate of prisoners who did not have a GED. Inmates who earn their GED have a dramatically lower recidivism rate than inmates who do not earn their GED. This is not a coincidence; I believe that in order to improve the criminal justice system we need to spend time working on improving rehabilitation and education for prisoners. Scuba002, Scuba004
I think that this presentation was very beneficial; having both the officer and the individual who lived through his consequences. I believe that having a career as a correctional officer would be rewarding. I think that if someone has good communication skills and can see situations through different perspectives, they would do well in this line of work. My main goal is to become a police officer, but in the meantime or as a way to get my foot in the door i would definitely consider being a correctional officer. In think that a lot of good information was given and the answers that were asked were answered truthfully. I noticed how the two speakers kept mentioning how rapes aren't really common in the prisons because that's what we hear about and see on the movies. I would consider being a correctional officer after sitting in on this presentation. behappy001
Communication is very very important in this line of work. In order to maintain control of a situation without escalating it, officers must be able to communicate to others from their perspective and try to reach mutual understandings. Furthermore, the rape information provided was interesting considering all the stories we hear from the outside. It is also interesting to note that Mr. Pickett mentioned that a lot of filed rapes were actually consenting. Ghost003, Ghost004
Being able to have the opportunity to listen to what the two gentlemen had to say who came into class on Thursday was eye opening. The IDOC officer who came and spoke to us shared a lot of useful information for those of us who want to have careers in corrections. He talked about how on his first day of work he had no idea what he was doing and how the inmates helped him out and told him what to do until he got the hang of things. He told us that corrections is nothing like you see on TV, there are rarely fights and rapes, and there are never riots either. He taught us about his job is more or less just being a glorified baby sitter and making sure that the inmates do they are supposed to do and to make sure they do not misbehave. The other gentleman that came in and talked to us was a current inmate at the work center in Peoria. He is an ex-convict who has spent the last 13 years of his life in prison for being caught with weed on him, he received a 30 year sentence for it while the other person who was involved only received 90 days. The disparity between the two sentences is far too much especially due to the fact that they were both convicted of the same crime. He told us about how he got caught and how even though his sentence was very harsh, he still had done something illegal and he needed to be punished for breaking the law. He also told us about how the work program works and how it has allowed him to not only work a job but also attend school to get a degree so he can find a job after he is completely released from prison. The work program that Peoria has provides a great opportunity to inmates so that they can prepare themselves to go back into society and becoming a functioning member of society after their release. Being able to have this program is a great tool in helping reduce the recidivism rate and making sure that people do not become repeat offenders and spend their life doing crimes. Being able to listen to the two speakers was an amazing opportunity and helped provide a better insight into corrections and how our local prisons are trying to reduce the recidivism rate. Pack001, pack002
I was surprised how much less time the other person involved the person receiving the drugs) had to spend in jail. Which also giving inmates the tools they need to be successful such as schooling after they serve their time, due to the fact by reducing the sentencing for inmates for two years by going through this job program this helps this individual to achieve a positive mindset. There is also chances of promotions within working at the facility also the change to continue an individual’s education. I finally realized that the county hires from within quicker than they would from someone outside the county. Because know who their already dealing with. For example, what their strengths are, what their weakness are, and personalities are. The former inmate also said at one point being a corrections officer was like being a glorified babysitter which could fall along the lines of being the turnkey in correctional officer personalities. Hearing the inmates story of how he got arrested and how he gotten to the spot where he's at now really was something to hear because not everyone goes through that struggle and live to tell about it. Also hearing that he was classified the same way as a murderer by selling cocaine and getting treated the same. Results in recidivism and results in retaliation from the offenders towards law enforcement when they get out.-NIKE001/NIKE002
The criminal justice system is completely unfair. The ex-detainee that spoke to us received such a harsh sentence for having 37 pounds of marijuana here in Illinois compared to his partner in California who received little to none, and whose record was later expunged. We were lucky enough to be able to speak to one of the better behaved and more successful stories than some, with the ex-detainee doing very well in and out of the system. Even with a criminal record this person is excelling in the work release program and is now the hiring manager at a restaurant. I was very honored to have him and one of the staff of the work release program spend their time talking to us about their experiences. The staff member was formerly employed as a CO and worked his way up through the system. He made me more interested in a career path within the penal system. Being a glorified babysitter, as he put it, seems to be a good choice. The pay is decent for the work that you're doing, and you get extremely good experience if you're looking to further your career on the streets or in other segments. Earlier this semester we went on a tour of a jail, and the SI told us that many officer jobs come straight out of CO positions. He said it was one of the first places that he used to look for his new employees, and I feel that the former CO that we spoke to reinforced that idea and gave us a little more insight into exactly what it was like, what we'd be doing, different positions within the jails and prisons, and separated the myths of jailing positions that we see in movies and tv shows today. Hootie002
This past Thursday was very helpful and really gave you an idea of what you would be doing in the jails. The IDOC officer who came in and spoke to us was very helpful and shared a lot of good knowledge. We would never even learn as much as we did from him as if we would have just read the chapter. He was very honest and as he talked about most of the things you see on TV isn’t what happens in real life. He talked about how he has never seen a raping or fights. He said those things don’t really happen. Also said that there really aren’t riots as you see on TV as well because many of them know that there will be consequences. He really emphasized on being a good communicator and not faking it with the inmates because they will know and will not respect you if you are faking who you are. He stated that you should always stay true to yourself and don’t change your attitude towards them. You should try and keep the same attitude at all time. He said if you do that than many of the inmates will respect you. He stated that he was respected because the way he went about his business. At the same time though he talked about how you also don’t want to go in there trying to be the “cool guy”. Basically how he wrapped his speech up was that you are more or less just a babysitter that makes pretty good money and you get good benefits for it. The second guy that talked to us was an ex-convict who was spent the last 13 years in prison for being caught with cannabis on him. He talked about how he got sentenced to thirty years and the guy who was receiving the cannabis only received 90 days for it. You could see in his face all the years that he missed. His sentencing was very harsh and wasn’t really fair at all because of that he missed so much for where now states are legalizing it. He talked about the work program and how it has allowed him to get a job but not only that he gets to finish school and try to find an even better job after college. This Peoria program sounds really good especially for the ex convicts that are trying to get on the right track. As the ex convict said if it wasn’t for the program he would have nothing and wouldn’t be able to finish school or get a job. This all ties back to help reduce the recidivism rate and make sure people don’t repeat the same things they were doing to get put into prison. Just in general though it was so nice to hear from people that have been on the prison guard aspect and then ex-convict. You really got some good information from these two gentlemen. We learned way more than we would have if we would have just read that from a chapter. CRC001, CRC002
I think the speakers gave good information of what hose on in the half way house. The people that work there that are just cops are just there to bay sir them. I do not understand why the people that worked there would just send someone new in the place and not give them any directions. But I do like how the inmates helped him out in telling him what he needed to do. I never thought that the mood in the work place would effect how the inmates would react to you.He said that the inmates "arent" raped they just do not want to confess that they wanted it. So they say it to get the talk off of them. I can understand why that some people do not want to take the 3rd shift. I like how people not 21 yet can work at the half way house. My spyers story was interesting I did not know that you can ship marijuana threw the mail.I thought they would catch him sooner because I thought every Pacage had to be scaned.adelle002
The IDOC shift supervisor mentioned was that on his first day of working, he had no idea what to do, but the inmates helped him out by telling him where to stand, who to look out for, etc. He told us that corrections is nothing like you see on TV, there are rarely fights and rapes, and there are never riots either. He taught us about his job is more or less just being a glorified baby sitter and making sure that the inmates do they are supposed to do and to make sure they do not misbehave. That comment though does bother me because whenever I go off to babysit I never have to sit there and think can I be killed today ? I get the joke behind saying it’s like babysitting but these are grown adults not little kids you’re watching. He really emphasized on being a good communicator and not faking it with the inmates because they will know and will not respect you if you are faking who you are.The pay is decent for the work that you're doing, and you get extremely good experience if you're looking to further your career on the streets or in other segments. Earlier this semester we went on a tour of a jail, and the SI told us that many officer jobs come straight out of CO positions. For what I’ve already seen I know I don’t want to end up on the streets so I’m hoping to see this summer if corrections is what I want to do in this field. Pie 001,002,004
Im very glad i went to hear them speak. It was a great experience and very informational. Before going in i really wasn't sure if i wanted to go in to corrections or not. After hearing everything they had to say, i definitely want to start at corrections. As Mr. Pickett had said, that it's easier to be promoted if you have already worked in the system. It sounds like a really good career choice and you don't even have to stop there. He kind of made it sound like the job was easy too and that's right down my alley. He said it made you a glorified babysitter which seems pretty ture. The work itself seems good and would be a great place to start work. Now listening to Mr. Spyres talk, it was pretty sad to hear. He had gotten 30 years for marijuana. That just shocked me. This whole guy's life was pretty much wasted. Our criminal justice system is just so bad when it can ruins a guys life when he was only 19. I can understand that he should be punished for that amount of marijuana. Although 30 years isn't the right answer. Some prison time should be given, but not that amount. Changes need to happen so this stops happening to non violent drug offenders all around the country. Mustang003/004
I agree with you that there should be a punishment to go along with the offense. However, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration when looking at the aspect of a "fitting punishment" may it be the seriousness of the offense or maybe the offenders previous history. In Mr. Spyers case he was a non violent offender where in many cases the offender receives a "mandatory minimum sentence. A major problem with this is the judge can use very little discretion and what discretion he or she can use is channeled. The prosecutor is not trained to use discretion they don't get to see the offender or see why maybe the offender committed the crime they did may it be because of a financial crisis the offender was going through. But yes, I do agree that some reform needs to happen and is in the works. Hsp001
I thought it was a very informative talk about how to apply for IDOC. I thought Mr. Picket was straight forward with how it is being a CO. I also felt for Mr. Spyres, getting 30 years just for marijuana is insane. Also he touched base with what it is really like in prison and that everything that you see on T.V isn't the actual truth. I was also glad to see that he turned his life around by doing what he needed to do while in prison that got him to the work release center. Seeing him strive to better himself daily is really an inspiration. Ciaccio001/002
Mr. Pickett and Mr. Spyres helped provide a more transparent view into the correctional field of criminal justice. During the session I learned several valuable things that I truly believe will help in my career path. It was nice to see that our professor's stress on communication held truth when hearing out what Mr. Pickett had to say about it. He stressed the extreme importance of communication above all else in a prison, and those who can communicate effectively will make their jobs a lot easier with less physical interactions. Furthermore, I became aware of some of the alternative positions a prison has rather than just correctional officers. From cooks to activity coordinators prisons have a wide field of services they provide. Mr Spyres helped point out the concept of what its like from the inmates point of view as well. Being incarcerated for 14 years for a victim less crime such as possession of a controlled substance, Spyres maintained a high level of respect and understanding for both his side and Mr. Pickett's. It is clear that lasting relationships and positive changes can be made within the field of corrections and I will be putting this career on my list of possibilities. Ghost003, Ghost004
Having this informative session with the IDOC was an amazing opportunity. It was extremely interesting to say the least. To get an insight of something so real from real people who have experienced the corrections system as well as been incarcerated is something that the textbooks or TV just cannot teach a person. I’m not going to lie, when Mr. Spyers walked in I had no idea that he would have ever been incarcerated. At first I thought that he was just another correctional officer that was there to inform us as well. When Mr. Picket went on talking about how the hiring process would go it was extremely helpful. It was also nice being informed of all of the different job opportunities throughout corrections including the different pay grades that could be received within each position as well as experience. Also when Mr. Picket began talking about his first day on the job and how he had really no idea what he was supposed to do he was just tossed a set of keys and told “good luck”. The inmates began to help him out. I would like to believe based on what Mr. Picket told us that using your discretion towards these inmates would be a big factor in helping with this job. Not everybody in prisons or jails are bad people, they are all people and yes some are people who are just horrible people but like he said, a lot of them were just trying to help him. He told us that the majority of things they told him in training were the exact opposite of what helped him make it. This was a very good experience from the inside. Hsp001
IDOC came and visited along with a convicted felon. the felon told us the story of how the white correctional officers did not understand the hair product black inmates needed for their hair. how diversity of gender and race in jails and prisons can solve a multitude of problems. Jails and prisons are diverse, so the staff should represent the jail/ prison population accurately. The convict was very wise and knew he consciously made a bad decision at the age of 19 years old, but he believed he should not have had to spend 13 years in prison for it. I was surprised how much less time the other person involved (the person receiving the drugs) had to spend in jail. He mentioned he actually only smoked marijuana three times and he just wanted to sell the marijuana to get money. He had a problem with greed, not drugs, but he mentioned he spent time in rehab so he could go to the work release center. He should not have had to spend 13 years in prison to fix his “drug problem.” The work program that Peoria has provides a great opportunity to inmates so that they can prepare themselves to go back into society and becoming a functioning member of society after their release. Being able to have this program is a great tool in helping reduce the recidivism rate and making sure that people do not become repeat offenders and spend their life doing crimes. banshee 002 steel001
I thought this was a very informative session. No matter what someone is going into, they can get someone's prospective of what it is like in the correctional facilty. I thought I knew what I wanted to go into, but after hearing them talk, I actually am considering going into being a correctional officer. I like to help people and possibly motivate them into possibly wanting to better themselves. I already put in my application. We will see.... hotfox003
ReplyDeleteThis was one of best informative session realing telling us students what incarcerating is like without super coding the truth from us. I thought it was going to be the hardships as well and had a bias mindset of prison and this talk had my mind at a 360 degree turn as well. Very helpful into understand how these correctional officers work as well as understanding the inmate life as well as both are counteractive going hand in hand to some degree also giving details as t what people may pray on or even how for correctional officers that inmate may have the backs of COs more than other correctional officers working along side of this person. Eagle001 Eagle002
DeleteMy thoughts for the correctional speaker who spoke to the class today was an eye opening experience this was eye opening due to the fact, of what exists for inmates in terms of being transported from prison to prison or for the oppuritinies they have once inmates show good behavior inside of the correctional facility. Such as being able to obtain a job in the outside word for those going through the Illinois Department of Corrections or being able to go out and see their families on weekends or being able to see them during holidays as well. What was interesting about this experience as well is hearing details of correctional officers maintaining control in order for other inmates to be able to enjoy their phone calls to their loved ones. Which for inmate this is their chance for contact with those they care about and may help that inmate receive the moral support they need in order to be able to cope with their lifestyle since they will not have access to the free world. Also what Peoria is doing as well in their downtown correctional program makes a difference as well stating that they want inmates to go out into the working job and obtain an earning giving them a set amount to spend over the course of two weeks this also helps to pay for the cost incarcerating the individual, as well as this, can be costly to the community as a whole if this is coming from taxpayer dollars. Which also giving inmates the tools they need to be successful such as schooling after they serve their time, due to the fact by reducing the sentencing for inmates for two years by going through this job program this helps this individual to achieve a positive mindset and move forward so that they may have their time with family and other cared ones as they used to in the past. Reducing the chances as the staff supervisor put it gives impurities to people that would never have a chance if programs such as these didn’t exist. I also think what is beneficial about the Illinois Department of Corrections program is that the fact that this is also very financial stable for the Correctional Officers as well this kind of finical earnings can help the officer stay with the stressful and boring job as they may not be accustom to the requires that this job will have the correctional prodigals and policy and may not always feel they are doing the right thing when they are dealing according to orders, policy’s or maintain the security of the felicity at large. There is also chances of promotions within working at the facility also the change to continue an individual’s education as well to show that they are wanting to achieve a greater performance to better themselves in their working environment. This job also is formal in their ability to ensure someone of their current application process if it’s being processed or if the application is conformed this was very formal and helpful getting this oppurninty. Eagle001 Eagle002
ReplyDeleteThe IDOC shift supervisor and ex-convict shared many interesting stories and points I would have not have learned from reading my criminal justice books. The first thing the IDOC shift supervisor mentioned was that on his first day of working, he had no idea what to do, but the inmates helped him out by telling him where to stand, who to look out for, etc. Before this story, I had the mentality that it was the corrections officer versus the prisoners. From the supervisor I also learned that if you communicate you can do corrections. It cannot be stressed enough how vital communication is, especially as a corrections officer. The supervisor emphasized all of the pay benefits of working in corrections. The former inmate also said at one point being a corrections officer was like being a “glorified babysitter” (which could fall along the lines of being the turnkey in correctional officer personalities). The ex-convict spent the first few minutes of his time talking about the mental health issues and stupidity in other inmates he dealt with while in prison. He also talked about how there needs to be more diverse correctional officers. He told us the story of how the white correctional officers did not understand the hair product black inmates needed for their hair. The diversity of gender and race in jails and prisons can solve a multitude of problems. Jails and prisons are diverse, so the staff should represent the jail/ prison population accurately. The ex-convict was very wise and knew he consciously made a bad decision at the age of 19 years old, but he believed he should not have had to spend 13 years in prison for it. I was surprised how much less time the other person involved (the person receiving the drugs) had to spend in jail. He mentioned he actually only smoked marijuana three times and he just wanted to sell the marijuana to get money. He had a problem with greed, not drugs, but he mentioned he spent time in rehab so he could go to the work release center. He should not have had to spend 13 years in prison to fix his “drug problem.” Inmates who are in prison for an actual drug issue should not have to spend that amount of time in prison to “fix” their drug problems either. We need to spend time making sure all of the violent/ dangerous offenders are locked up. I was surprised that he mentioned that violent offenders are easier for correctional officers to handle because the violent offenders have more respect. After explaining his reasoning, I agreed with him. Another thing the inmate mentioned that I thought was important was the recidivism rate of prisoners who did not have a GED. Inmates who earn their GED have a dramatically lower recidivism rate than inmates who do not earn their GED. This is not a coincidence; I believe that in order to improve the criminal justice system we need to spend time working on improving rehabilitation and education for prisoners. Scuba002, Scuba004
ReplyDeleteI think that this presentation was very beneficial; having both the officer and the individual who lived through his consequences. I believe that having a career as a correctional officer would be rewarding. I think that if someone has good communication skills and can see situations through different perspectives, they would do well in this line of work. My main goal is to become a police officer, but in the meantime or as a way to get my foot in the door i would definitely consider being a correctional officer. In think that a lot of good information was given and the answers that were asked were answered truthfully. I noticed how the two speakers kept mentioning how rapes aren't really common in the prisons because that's what we hear about and see on the movies. I would consider being a correctional officer after sitting in on this presentation. behappy001
ReplyDeleteCommunication is very very important in this line of work. In order to maintain control of a situation without escalating it, officers must be able to communicate to others from their perspective and try to reach mutual understandings. Furthermore, the rape information provided was interesting considering all the stories we hear from the outside. It is also interesting to note that Mr. Pickett mentioned that a lot of filed rapes were actually consenting. Ghost003, Ghost004
DeleteBeing able to have the opportunity to listen to what the two gentlemen had to say who came into class on Thursday was eye opening. The IDOC officer who came and spoke to us shared a lot of useful information for those of us who want to have careers in corrections. He talked about how on his first day of work he had no idea what he was doing and how the inmates helped him out and told him what to do until he got the hang of things. He told us that corrections is nothing like you see on TV, there are rarely fights and rapes, and there are never riots either. He taught us about his job is more or less just being a glorified baby sitter and making sure that the inmates do they are supposed to do and to make sure they do not misbehave. The other gentleman that came in and talked to us was a current inmate at the work center in Peoria. He is an ex-convict who has spent the last 13 years of his life in prison for being caught with weed on him, he received a 30 year sentence for it while the other person who was involved only received 90 days. The disparity between the two sentences is far too much especially due to the fact that they were both convicted of the same crime. He told us about how he got caught and how even though his sentence was very harsh, he still had done something illegal and he needed to be punished for breaking the law. He also told us about how the work program works and how it has allowed him to not only work a job but also attend school to get a degree so he can find a job after he is completely released from prison. The work program that Peoria has provides a great opportunity to inmates so that they can prepare themselves to go back into society and becoming a functioning member of society after their release. Being able to have this program is a great tool in helping reduce the recidivism rate and making sure that people do not become repeat offenders and spend their life doing crimes. Being able to listen to the two speakers was an amazing opportunity and helped provide a better insight into corrections and how our local prisons are trying to reduce the recidivism rate. Pack001, pack002
ReplyDeleteI was surprised how much less time the other person involved the person receiving the drugs) had to spend in jail. Which also giving inmates the tools they need to be successful such as schooling after they serve their time, due to the fact by reducing the sentencing for inmates for two years by going through this job program this helps this individual to achieve a positive mindset. There is also chances of promotions within working at the facility also the change to continue an individual’s education. I finally realized that the county hires from within quicker than they would from someone outside the county. Because know who their already dealing with. For example, what their strengths are, what their weakness are, and personalities are. The former inmate also said at one point being a corrections officer was like being a glorified babysitter which could fall along the lines of being the turnkey in correctional officer personalities. Hearing the inmates story of how he got arrested and how he gotten to the spot where he's at now really was something to hear because not everyone goes through that struggle and live to tell about it. Also hearing that he was classified the same way as a murderer by selling cocaine and getting treated the same. Results in recidivism and results in retaliation from the offenders towards law enforcement when they get out.-NIKE001/NIKE002
ReplyDeleteThe criminal justice system is completely unfair. The ex-detainee that spoke to us received such a harsh sentence for having 37 pounds of marijuana here in Illinois compared to his partner in California who received little to none, and whose record was later expunged. We were lucky enough to be able to speak to one of the better behaved and more successful stories than some, with the ex-detainee doing very well in and out of the system. Even with a criminal record this person is excelling in the work release program and is now the hiring manager at a restaurant. I was very honored to have him and one of the staff of the work release program spend their time talking to us about their experiences. The staff member was formerly employed as a CO and worked his way up through the system. He made me more interested in a career path within the penal system. Being a glorified babysitter, as he put it, seems to be a good choice. The pay is decent for the work that you're doing, and you get extremely good experience if you're looking to further your career on the streets or in other segments. Earlier this semester we went on a tour of a jail, and the SI told us that many officer jobs come straight out of CO positions. He said it was one of the first places that he used to look for his new employees, and I feel that the former CO that we spoke to reinforced that idea and gave us a little more insight into exactly what it was like, what we'd be doing, different positions within the jails and prisons, and separated the myths of jailing positions that we see in movies and tv shows today.
ReplyDeleteHootie002
This past Thursday was very helpful and really gave you an idea of what you would be doing in the jails. The IDOC officer who came in and spoke to us was very helpful and shared a lot of good knowledge. We would never even learn as much as we did from him as if we would have just read the chapter. He was very honest and as he talked about most of the things you see on TV isn’t what happens in real life. He talked about how he has never seen a raping or fights. He said those things don’t really happen. Also said that there really aren’t riots as you see on TV as well because many of them know that there will be consequences. He really emphasized on being a good communicator and not faking it with the inmates because they will know and will not respect you if you are faking who you are. He stated that you should always stay true to yourself and don’t change your attitude towards them. You should try and keep the same attitude at all time. He said if you do that than many of the inmates will respect you. He stated that he was respected because the way he went about his business. At the same time though he talked about how you also don’t want to go in there trying to be the “cool guy”. Basically how he wrapped his speech up was that you are more or less just a babysitter that makes pretty good money and you get good benefits for it. The second guy that talked to us was an ex-convict who was spent the last 13 years in prison for being caught with cannabis on him. He talked about how he got sentenced to thirty years and the guy who was receiving the cannabis only received 90 days for it. You could see in his face all the years that he missed. His sentencing was very harsh and wasn’t really fair at all because of that he missed so much for where now states are legalizing it. He talked about the work program and how it has allowed him to get a job but not only that he gets to finish school and try to find an even better job after college. This Peoria program sounds really good especially for the ex convicts that are trying to get on the right track. As the ex convict said if it wasn’t for the program he would have nothing and wouldn’t be able to finish school or get a job. This all ties back to help reduce the recidivism rate and make sure people don’t repeat the same things they were doing to get put into prison. Just in general though it was so nice to hear from people that have been on the prison guard aspect and then ex-convict. You really got some good information from these two gentlemen. We learned way more than we would have if we would have just read that from a chapter. CRC001, CRC002
ReplyDeleteI think the speakers gave good information of what hose on in the half way house. The people that work there that are just cops are just there to bay sir them. I do not understand why the people that worked there would just send someone new in the place and not give them any directions. But I do like how the inmates helped him out in telling him what he needed to do. I never thought that the mood in the work place would effect how the inmates would react to you.He said that the inmates "arent" raped they just do not want to confess that they wanted it. So they say it to get the talk off of them. I can understand why that some people do not want to take the 3rd shift. I like how people not 21 yet can work at the half way house. My spyers story was interesting I did not know that you can ship marijuana threw the mail.I thought they would catch him sooner because I thought every Pacage had to be scaned.adelle002
ReplyDeleteThe IDOC shift supervisor mentioned was that on his first day of working, he had no idea what to do, but the inmates helped him out by telling him where to stand, who to look out for, etc. He told us that corrections is nothing like you see on TV, there are rarely fights and rapes, and there are never riots either. He taught us about his job is more or less just being a glorified baby sitter and making sure that the inmates do they are supposed to do and to make sure they do not misbehave. That comment though does bother me because whenever I go off to babysit I never have to sit there and think can I be killed today ? I get the joke behind saying it’s like babysitting but these are grown adults not little kids you’re watching. He really emphasized on being a good communicator and not faking it with the inmates because they will know and will not respect you if you are faking who you are.The pay is decent for the work that you're doing, and you get extremely good experience if you're looking to further your career on the streets or in other segments. Earlier this semester we went on a tour of a jail, and the SI told us that many officer jobs come straight out of CO positions. For what I’ve already seen I know I don’t want to end up on the streets so I’m hoping to see this summer if corrections is what I want to do in this field. Pie 001,002,004
ReplyDeleteIm very glad i went to hear them speak. It was a great experience and very informational. Before going in i really wasn't sure if i wanted to go in to corrections or not. After hearing everything they had to say, i definitely want to start at corrections. As Mr. Pickett had said, that it's easier to be promoted if you have already worked in the system. It sounds like a really good career choice and you don't even have to stop there. He kind of made it sound like the job was easy too and that's right down my alley. He said it made you a glorified babysitter which seems pretty ture. The work itself seems good and would be a great place to start work. Now listening to Mr. Spyres talk, it was pretty sad to hear. He had gotten 30 years for marijuana. That just shocked me. This whole guy's life was pretty much wasted. Our criminal justice system is just so bad when it can ruins a guys life when he was only 19. I can understand that he should be punished for that amount of marijuana. Although 30 years isn't the right answer. Some prison time should be given, but not that amount. Changes need to happen so this stops happening to non violent drug offenders all around the country. Mustang003/004
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that there should be a punishment to go along with the offense. However, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration when looking at the aspect of a "fitting punishment" may it be the seriousness of the offense or maybe the offenders previous history. In Mr. Spyers case he was a non violent offender where in many cases the offender receives a "mandatory minimum sentence. A major problem with this is the judge can use very little discretion and what discretion he or she can use is channeled. The prosecutor is not trained to use discretion they don't get to see the offender or see why maybe the offender committed the crime they did may it be because of a financial crisis the offender was going through. But yes, I do agree that some reform needs to happen and is in the works.
DeleteHsp001
I thought it was a very informative talk about how to apply for IDOC. I thought Mr. Picket was straight forward with how it is being a CO. I also felt for Mr. Spyres, getting 30 years just for marijuana is insane. Also he touched base with what it is really like in prison and that everything that you see on T.V isn't the actual truth. I was also glad to see that he turned his life around by doing what he needed to do while in prison that got him to the work release center. Seeing him strive to better himself daily is really an inspiration. Ciaccio001/002
ReplyDeleteMr. Pickett and Mr. Spyres helped provide a more transparent view into the correctional field of criminal justice. During the session I learned several valuable things that I truly believe will help in my career path. It was nice to see that our professor's stress on communication held truth when hearing out what Mr. Pickett had to say about it. He stressed the extreme importance of communication above all else in a prison, and those who can communicate effectively will make their jobs a lot easier with less physical interactions. Furthermore, I became aware of some of the alternative positions a prison has rather than just correctional officers. From cooks to activity coordinators prisons have a wide field of services they provide. Mr Spyres helped point out the concept of what its like from the inmates point of view as well. Being incarcerated for 14 years for a victim less crime such as possession of a controlled substance, Spyres maintained a high level of respect and understanding for both his side and Mr. Pickett's. It is clear that lasting relationships and positive changes can be made within the field of corrections and I will be putting this career on my list of possibilities. Ghost003, Ghost004
ReplyDeleteHaving this informative session with the IDOC was an amazing opportunity. It was extremely interesting to say the least. To get an insight of something so real from real people who have experienced the corrections system as well as been incarcerated is something that the textbooks or TV just cannot teach a person. I’m not going to lie, when Mr. Spyers walked in I had no idea that he would have ever been incarcerated. At first I thought that he was just another correctional officer that was there to inform us as well. When Mr. Picket went on talking about how the hiring process would go it was extremely helpful. It was also nice being informed of all of the different job opportunities throughout corrections including the different pay grades that could be received within each position as well as experience. Also when Mr. Picket began talking about his first day on the job and how he had really no idea what he was supposed to do he was just tossed a set of keys and told “good luck”. The inmates began to help him out. I would like to believe based on what Mr. Picket told us that using your discretion towards these inmates would be a big factor in helping with this job. Not everybody in prisons or jails are bad people, they are all people and yes some are people who are just horrible people but like he said, a lot of them were just trying to help him. He told us that the majority of things they told him in training were the exact opposite of what helped him make it. This was a very good experience from the inside.
ReplyDeleteHsp001
IDOC came and visited along with a convicted felon. the felon told us the story of how the white correctional officers did not understand the hair product black inmates needed for their hair. how diversity of gender and race in jails and prisons can solve a multitude of problems. Jails and prisons are diverse, so the staff should represent the jail/ prison population accurately. The convict was very wise and knew he consciously made a bad decision at the age of 19 years old, but he believed he should not have had to spend 13 years in prison for it. I was surprised how much less time the other person involved (the person receiving the drugs) had to spend in jail. He mentioned he actually only smoked marijuana three times and he just wanted to sell the marijuana to get money. He had a problem with greed, not drugs, but he mentioned he spent time in rehab so he could go to the work release center. He should not have had to spend 13 years in prison to fix his “drug problem.” The work program that Peoria has provides a great opportunity to inmates so that they can prepare themselves to go back into society and becoming a functioning member of society after their release. Being able to have this program is a great tool in helping reduce the recidivism rate and making sure that people do not become repeat offenders and spend their life doing crimes. banshee 002 steel001
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