This video was very entertaining. I think it's so interesting to see that people have whole lives in prison. By that I mean they are repeat offenders and I believe in the video one person had been back in five times? That is very intriguing that you would literally have to structure your life around being in and out of prison. I have a lot of respect for the main woman. She has to deal with all kinds of different situations that can incredibly dangerous. Being a woman dealing with male inmates can be an uphill battle due to the stigma and authority problems. I can not imagine being held on a drug charge while having a pregnant girlfriend. I really wonder how a prisoner smuggle a marijuana and a handcuff key from another prison. I find it interesting that they have a special team for rapid responses. I do not understand why the 7th floor had a mixed prison population. They had mentioned they had maximums and minimums which is confusing as to why they would be together. It was strange to see how nice the main CO was to the woman who was confused. To have the ability to completely handle any situation no matter you're emotion is incredible. I believe that you must have this skill in order to a CO. I also found it disturbing to see how many different obscure items can be used for shanks. This video also showed me that visitation is for most prisons their only connection to the outside world. In other terms, it would be there only hope and something to look forward to when they get out. Jackrabbit001
I agree with you that the main women deserves a lot of respect. She has been on the job for a long time and knows what she is doing. I also agree that she deserves respect because she has to deal with a lot of different situations that could be very dangerous including being locked in the area with the prisoners. The ability to be a CO is enormous and deserves lots of respect from everyone because they deal with things that are unimaginable every day and a lot of them continue to come back to work everyday to do it again. -Legion001
I think that in the state of Texas you get on the job training with only three days’ worth of training before being put on the job to test you. That seems dumb to me because you have to prove yourself before you even get into the academy. This makes no sense because why would you put someone into such a dangerous situation with very minimal training. I feel like that is a case just waiting to explode. I think that the training for SRT is surprisingly short. I feel like a week is too short, but they would know better than me. I also believe that the intake room is way to exposed. It is an open room that the people that have just been arrested are waiting in line to be processed. They stand in line while the officers stand around and process them into the jail. This seems ripe for an officer being attacked or another inmate being attacked. I think Officer Cobb went in with such low expectations and thought it was going to be easy was very naive of her. I think that has to do with the fact she only had three days of training before going to the job. I think going through the academy first is the right steps to be taken because candidates can prove themselves in a controlled environment where the candidate has little possibility of being hurt instead of throwing them into the deep end by having them start only after three days and this would help I think having the right mindset before they go into the jail or prison to work because that will give them more peace mind and knowledge to be able to take control of any situation and be able to get out each day alive and free from injury so they can go home to their families. -Legion001
I agree that training is crucial and that in Texas it seems they are not providing the corrections officer with the proper training in order to learn and posses the skills of how to properly conduct yourself when in very difficult situations. Also seeing the admittance process being as open as you stated could be very nerve wrecking due to a potential that a very big fight could ensue within a matter of seconds, and not have near enough staff coverage could result in high level injuries without being able to deescalate and take control of the situation before it grows. -Blues001
I agree that the three days of training that these officers receive is just not enough. Not only are they doing one of the riskiest jobs, but they are doing one of the most mentally challenging jobs. These prisoners are hard to contain and even harder to understand. I think that they should at least get a month of training before they’re thrown in the cell with these guys. I think that would get rid of a lot of people who aren’t ready before they’re thrown into dangerous situations which could lead to that officer getting seriously hurt or even killed. Celtics002
I agree that I could not believe that the woman went into the job thinking it was just going to be a babysitting job. That's an insane assumption to me because you are comparing little kids to criminals. I also agree that the entirety of the training process is not enough. I suppose they are just desperate and dont have the time or the money for decent training. Jackrabbit001
I really enjoyed watching this documentary it showed both the side of the officers and inmates. Something that really stood out to me was when the officer mentioned that inmates keep coming back to jail. Whether it’s for failing probation or due to desperation (stealing and such) the same inmates keep coming back. Many of the inmates shown in the documentary didn’t seem to be downright evil, they seemed to have just made mistakes. Another thing that I found interesting was how vulnerable these officers really are. At the beginning of the documentary, we see one officer standing by herself keeping an eye on the inmates eating lunch. You must be extremely brave to willingly do that. At any moment, those inmates could fight, riot, or cause some form of harm to that officer. Every day could potentially be your last. Some inmates have shanks made from anything that they can get their hands on. As stated by one of the officers, “they can use them on officers…”. Even with all the safety measures put in place, inmates can still get their hands on contraband. This is most likely due to how understaffed jails and prisons seem to be. One man who was recently arrested had a handcuff key in his pocket. Don’t know how it wasn’t found during the initial search or why he didn’t use it, but that just shows how unpredictable inmates can be. All in all, I really found this video to be very interesting as well as eye opening. Lately I’ve been looking into corrections as a potential career, and this documentary painted a memorable picture of what life is like in this profession. Sexy_in_Bikini
This was a very interesting video and brought a lot to my mind to think about such as training. Having effective training is a very essential piece to being a professional correctional officer and knowing what to do and when to do it when a situation arises. Prisons and jails are very serious places where you have to have constant awareness of what is going on around you and with minimal training you may not have that ingrained into you mind yet. Especially for a special response team in a prison you need a lot more knowledge of how to conduct yourself and how not too because if you trip up and make a mistake you could potentially have a lawsuit for not carrying out proper procedure against an inmate. On the topic of weaponry in a prison it is very clear as to what can be used to make a deadly weapon. Virtually anything you can imagine can be used as a weapon if it gets into the wrong hands in the facility. The video also showed that an inmate had snuck a handcuff key in, which is a very very dangerous thing to see a prisoner have in possession. This almost goes hand in hand with what I stated in the beginning about proper training. If one officer was not trained enough to be thorough enough or what to look for and things like a key could cause a massive issue once inside. Handcuffs and shackles are used to restrain and transport dangerous and uncooperative inmates and having a key is a massive safety hazard and liability for any other officer due to the mistake made early on in the admittance of the prisoner. I think this video really was great in showing how in a facility like this you must be a professional and never forget where you are, if you do you put yourself and all other fellow officers in potentially deadly situations. -Blues001
Knowledge, knowledge, knowledge. I whole heartedly agree with you. In a field like corrections, where things are always changing and evolving, we have to be able to adapt, and do proper training to keep up. The fact is though how can we train properly without keeping up with our reading and research in our field. from year to year things in corrections change. Security policies may change, policies regarding force used with inmates can change, there are a multitude of things changing constantly within our prisons. -psych001
This video talked about the Dallas County Jail, and focused on some of the guards working there. The first officer they talked to was a military veteran. Officer freeman said that about half the staff working there are female. This is surprising to me because there is a ton of inmates in that jail and a lot of them look like they can put up a fight with pretty much every guard. There are also cell blocks in the jail that house murderers who might think that they have nothing to lose. I think that the biggest thing these female officers have to bring to the job is confidence. If they don’t have confidence then the inmates will notice and will take advantage of that. They showed the first day of this one officer who was very mislead about what the job was about. She thought that it would be easy and the people in here are the same as the ones that you’d deal with on the streets. This just simply isn’t true because these guys have a lot of anger that you don’t find on the everyday streets. You also don’t break up fights between people everyday on the street, but you probably will in here. I think that the most disappointing thing in this video was seeing the 18 year old girl dating the 37 year old guy in the jail. He was put away for drug charges and she didn’t seem to care that she was pregnant and he wasn’t going to be able to provide for her. What’s even sadder is that her mom is letting her do this and is giving them money to move. I think that this girl needs a wake up call, and I feel like she’s going to get that call when its too late. -Celtics002
I agree with you when you say that the women correctional officers need to have confidence. As they say, confidence is key, and that is essential for the women who work there. Unlike men, it is unfortunate that the male inmates disrespect the female guards and officers. Without confidence, the prisoners would treat the women poorly. -lilbaby001
First off, I am astonished by the fact that this jail’s correctional officers are over 50% female. Not saying that females can’t do the job, but prisoners definitely look down on them just as they would look down on an emaciated male. I also think that it is a problem that a majority of these offenders come back for the same offense. That brings up the question, is the corrections system really doing their job with these offenders? Rehabilitation programs should take care of this problem, and studies show that they are not. It surprised me that razors are handed out to the inmates while they are all in the same room. Like they said, they can be used at a weapon at any time. It is not logical to give these inmates razors while they are in the same room where as they could potentially hurt themselves or others. Instead of freely distributing the razors to the prisoners while they are in their pod, I would suggest that they are handed out right before they shower individually, and then collected at the end. This would prevent potential fights where the razors could become a weapon. This video also brings up the fact that inmates try to manipulate female correctional officers by the littlest things. These things being as simple as a “hello,” or “good morning.” If the officer politely responds with a friendly gesture, it could potentially make the inmates feel that they are getting closer to taking advantage of them. I could see how this could be misleading to the female officer because they might not know if they are legitimately being nice, or trying to manipulate them. Although, creating a close relationship with the inmates is important, it can be misleading to the officer when they make an attempt to create a closer relationship because they don’t know what the inmate’s real intentions are. -lilbaby001
This video is very interesting. It’s nice to see the officer perspectives and also realize how sad the prison/correctional system really is. I understand that officers have to demand respect, and many people deserve to be in the position they are in, but to take away every aspect of someone’s life? Officers bark commands and prisoners are told what to do in every aspect of life. They are limited on visits from friends and family. How is someone rehabilitated when everything they know and love is stripped away? To an extent, it is understandable. But, our justice system is a tad excessive. It is mentally grueling. Many people (Nearly 905) are in prison for drug offenses. An officer even claims its an addiction, yet they are imprisoned rather than rehabilitated. The statistics show with how many repeat offenders there are present in America. Does Prison really rehabilitate when offenders are repeatedly returning? In the video, it shows a woman in solitary. I am conflicted on my beliefs with this. If someone assaults someone, I understand something needs to happen, but to keep someone in solitary for extended amounts of time is truly wicked on someone’s brain and sanity. I just wish there was a way to please everyone with the justice system. We have to be safe and ensure the safety of every person, but ultimately prisoners are people as well, and I do not feel should be treated as animals. On the video, it really is interesting to see how all of this works though. It is interesting to see the perspectives of the officers in depth and hear what they say. It is cool to get actual footage on the inside of the system, and it was also interesting to see intake. How can a prisoner have a handcuff key simply in his pocket? How would that not have been caught sooner? This is why I have such conflicted feelings, because prisoners are people, yet danger does need to be prevented. Also, near the end of the video, an officer does converse and show hospitality to an inmate. I just wish all of them were that way. Overall, interesting video though! -freckles001
This video was very entertaining. I think it's so interesting to see that people have whole lives in prison. By that I mean they are repeat offenders and I believe in the video one person had been back in five times? That is very intriguing that you would literally have to structure your life around being in and out of prison. I have a lot of respect for the main woman. She has to deal with all kinds of different situations that can incredibly dangerous. Being a woman dealing with male inmates can be an uphill battle due to the stigma and authority problems. I can not imagine being held on a drug charge while having a pregnant girlfriend. I really wonder how a prisoner smuggle a marijuana and a handcuff key from another prison. I find it interesting that they have a special team for rapid responses. I do not understand why the 7th floor had a mixed prison population. They had mentioned they had maximums and minimums which is confusing as to why they would be together. It was strange to see how nice the main CO was to the woman who was confused. To have the ability to completely handle any situation no matter you're emotion is incredible. I believe that you must have this skill in order to a CO. I also found it disturbing to see how many different obscure items can be used for shanks. This video also showed me that visitation is for most prisons their only connection to the outside world. In other terms, it would be there only hope and something to look forward to when they get out.
ReplyDeleteJackrabbit001
I agree with you that the main women deserves a lot of respect. She has been on the job for a long time and knows what she is doing. I also agree that she deserves respect because she has to deal with a lot of different situations that could be very dangerous including being locked in the area with the prisoners. The ability to be a CO is enormous and deserves lots of respect from everyone because they deal with things that are unimaginable every day and a lot of them continue to come back to work everyday to do it again. -Legion001
DeleteI think that in the state of Texas you get on the job training with only three days’ worth of training before being put on the job to test you. That seems dumb to me because you have to prove yourself before you even get into the academy. This makes no sense because why would you put someone into such a dangerous situation with very minimal training. I feel like that is a case just waiting to explode. I think that the training for SRT is surprisingly short. I feel like a week is too short, but they would know better than me. I also believe that the intake room is way to exposed. It is an open room that the people that have just been arrested are waiting in line to be processed. They stand in line while the officers stand around and process them into the jail. This seems ripe for an officer being attacked or another inmate being attacked. I think Officer Cobb went in with such low expectations and thought it was going to be easy was very naive of her. I think that has to do with the fact she only had three days of training before going to the job. I think going through the academy first is the right steps to be taken because candidates can prove themselves in a controlled environment where the candidate has little possibility of being hurt instead of throwing them into the deep end by having them start only after three days and this would help I think having the right mindset before they go into the jail or prison to work because that will give them more peace mind and knowledge to be able to take control of any situation and be able to get out each day alive and free from injury so they can go home to their families. -Legion001
ReplyDeleteI agree that training is crucial and that in Texas it seems they are not providing the corrections officer with the proper training in order to learn and posses the skills of how to properly conduct yourself when in very difficult situations. Also seeing the admittance process being as open as you stated could be very nerve wrecking due to a potential that a very big fight could ensue within a matter of seconds, and not have near enough staff coverage could result in high level injuries without being able to deescalate and take control of the situation before it grows. -Blues001
DeleteI agree that the three days of training that these officers receive is just not enough. Not only are they doing one of the riskiest jobs, but they are doing one of the most mentally challenging jobs. These prisoners are hard to contain and even harder to understand. I think that they should at least get a month of training before they’re thrown in the cell with these guys. I think that would get rid of a lot of people who aren’t ready before they’re thrown into dangerous situations which could lead to that officer getting seriously hurt or even killed. Celtics002
DeleteI agree that I could not believe that the woman went into the job thinking it was just going to be a babysitting job. That's an insane assumption to me because you are comparing little kids to criminals. I also agree that the entirety of the training process is not enough. I suppose they are just desperate and dont have the time or the money for decent training. Jackrabbit001
DeleteI really enjoyed watching this documentary it showed both the side of the officers and inmates. Something that really stood out to me was when the officer mentioned that inmates keep coming back to jail. Whether it’s for failing probation or due to desperation (stealing and such) the same inmates keep coming back. Many of the inmates shown in the documentary didn’t seem to be downright evil, they seemed to have just made mistakes. Another thing that I found interesting was how vulnerable these officers really are. At the beginning of the documentary, we see one officer standing by herself keeping an eye on the inmates eating lunch. You must be extremely brave to willingly do that. At any moment, those inmates could fight, riot, or cause some form of harm to that officer. Every day could potentially be your last. Some inmates have shanks made from anything that they can get their hands on. As stated by one of the officers, “they can use them on officers…”. Even with all the safety measures put in place, inmates can still get their hands on contraband. This is most likely due to how understaffed jails and prisons seem to be. One man who was recently arrested had a handcuff key in his pocket. Don’t know how it wasn’t found during the initial search or why he didn’t use it, but that just shows how unpredictable inmates can be. All in all, I really found this video to be very interesting as well as eye opening. Lately I’ve been looking into corrections as a potential career, and this documentary painted a memorable picture of what life is like in this profession. Sexy_in_Bikini
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting video and brought a lot to my mind to think about such as training. Having effective training is a very essential piece to being a professional correctional officer and knowing what to do and when to do it when a situation arises. Prisons and jails are very serious places where you have to have constant awareness of what is going on around you and with minimal training you may not have that ingrained into you mind yet. Especially for a special response team in a prison you need a lot more knowledge of how to conduct yourself and how not too because if you trip up and make a mistake you could potentially have a lawsuit for not carrying out proper procedure against an inmate. On the topic of weaponry in a prison it is very clear as to what can be used to make a deadly weapon. Virtually anything you can imagine can be used as a weapon if it gets into the wrong hands in the facility. The video also showed that an inmate had snuck a handcuff key in, which is a very very dangerous thing to see a prisoner have in possession. This almost goes hand in hand with what I stated in the beginning about proper training. If one officer was not trained enough to be thorough enough or what to look for and things like a key could cause a massive issue once inside. Handcuffs and shackles are used to restrain and transport dangerous and uncooperative inmates and having a key is a massive safety hazard and liability for any other officer due to the mistake made early on in the admittance of the prisoner. I think this video really was great in showing how in a facility like this you must be a professional and never forget where you are, if you do you put yourself and all other fellow officers in potentially deadly situations. -Blues001
ReplyDeleteKnowledge, knowledge, knowledge. I whole heartedly agree with you. In a field like corrections, where things are always changing and evolving, we have to be able to adapt, and do proper training to keep up. The fact is though how can we train properly without keeping up with our reading and research in our field. from year to year things in corrections change. Security policies may change, policies regarding force used with inmates can change, there are a multitude of things changing constantly within our prisons. -psych001
DeleteThis video talked about the Dallas County Jail, and focused on some of the guards working there. The first officer they talked to was a military veteran. Officer freeman said that about half the staff working there are female. This is surprising to me because there is a ton of inmates in that jail and a lot of them look like they can put up a fight with pretty much every guard. There are also cell blocks in the jail that house murderers who might think that they have nothing to lose. I think that the biggest thing these female officers have to bring to the job is confidence. If they don’t have confidence then the inmates will notice and will take advantage of that. They showed the first day of this one officer who was very mislead about what the job was about. She thought that it would be easy and the people in here are the same as the ones that you’d deal with on the streets. This just simply isn’t true because these guys have a lot of anger that you don’t find on the everyday streets. You also don’t break up fights between people everyday on the street, but you probably will in here. I think that the most disappointing thing in this video was seeing the 18 year old girl dating the 37 year old guy in the jail. He was put away for drug charges and she didn’t seem to care that she was pregnant and he wasn’t going to be able to provide for her. What’s even sadder is that her mom is letting her do this and is giving them money to move. I think that this girl needs a wake up call, and I feel like she’s going to get that call when its too late. -Celtics002
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that the women correctional officers need to have confidence. As they say, confidence is key, and that is essential for the women who work there. Unlike men, it is unfortunate that the male inmates disrespect the female guards and officers. Without confidence, the prisoners would treat the women poorly. -lilbaby001
DeleteFirst off, I am astonished by the fact that this jail’s correctional officers are over 50% female. Not saying that females can’t do the job, but prisoners definitely look down on them just as they would look down on an emaciated male. I also think that it is a problem that a majority of these offenders come back for the same offense. That brings up the question, is the corrections system really doing their job with these offenders? Rehabilitation programs should take care of this problem, and studies show that they are not. It surprised me that razors are handed out to the inmates while they are all in the same room. Like they said, they can be used at a weapon at any time. It is not logical to give these inmates razors while they are in the same room where as they could potentially hurt themselves or others. Instead of freely distributing the razors to the prisoners while they are in their pod, I would suggest that they are handed out right before they shower individually, and then collected at the end. This would prevent potential fights where the razors could become a weapon. This video also brings up the fact that inmates try to manipulate female correctional officers by the littlest things. These things being as simple as a “hello,” or “good morning.” If the officer politely responds with a friendly gesture, it could potentially make the inmates feel that they are getting closer to taking advantage of them. I could see how this could be misleading to the female officer because they might not know if they are legitimately being nice, or trying to manipulate them. Although, creating a close relationship with the inmates is important, it can be misleading to the officer when they make an attempt to create a closer relationship because they don’t know what the inmate’s real intentions are. -lilbaby001
ReplyDeleteThis video is very interesting. It’s nice to see the officer perspectives and also realize how sad the prison/correctional system really is. I understand that officers have to demand respect, and many people deserve to be in the position they are in, but to take away every aspect of someone’s life? Officers bark commands and prisoners are told what to do in every aspect of life. They are limited on visits from friends and family. How is someone rehabilitated when everything they know and love is stripped away? To an extent, it is understandable. But, our justice system is a tad excessive. It is mentally grueling. Many people (Nearly 905) are in prison for drug offenses. An officer even claims its an addiction, yet they are imprisoned rather than rehabilitated. The statistics show with how many repeat offenders there are present in America. Does Prison really rehabilitate when offenders are repeatedly returning? In the video, it shows a woman in solitary. I am conflicted on my beliefs with this. If someone assaults someone, I understand something needs to happen, but to keep someone in solitary for extended amounts of time is truly wicked on someone’s brain and sanity. I just wish there was a way to please everyone with the justice system. We have to be safe and ensure the safety of every person, but ultimately prisoners are people as well, and I do not feel should be treated as animals. On the video, it really is interesting to see how all of this works though. It is interesting to see the perspectives of the officers in depth and hear what they say. It is cool to get actual footage on the inside of the system, and it was also interesting to see intake. How can a prisoner have a handcuff key simply in his pocket? How would that not have been caught sooner? This is why I have such conflicted feelings, because prisoners are people, yet danger does need to be prevented. Also, near the end of the video, an officer does converse and show hospitality to an inmate. I just wish all of them were that way. Overall, interesting video though! -freckles001
ReplyDelete