Do you think corrections officers should get more praise and recognition for the job they do?

Answer 1

Heh. I spent 10 years as a Correctional Officer inside two close security prisons. The Officers I worked with were, with few exceptions, hard working people who wanted to do a dangerous job in difficult and demanding circumstances. (when was the last time you were locked in a building with 96 convicted felons, with no weapons?)

There were a few that were willing to cross the line, and get involved with inmates, and do the wrong thing. They are universally despised by the rest of us.

The public only hears about the staff that gets in trouble, since that makes news. They don't ever hear about the thousands of Officers who go to work every day to keep us safe. That's too boring to put in the news.

Correctional Officers are, like all civil servants, underpaid, and overworked. They need the positive recogintion they deserve.

As for the "crooked" officers, when we catch them, we'll happily press charges and let them try it as inmates.

Answer 2

Corrections Officers are eligible for incentive awards which have a monetary value and give points in their files. There is also a National Correctional Officers Work week every year in which special functions are planned and catered for the officer and his/her family at no charge to them. Unfortunately, not all deserving get recognized due to the limits. Correctional Officers also receive yearly clothing allowances due to the recognition they receive from the Govt. Increase your shakedowns,report wrong doing, be reliable, and don't spend all of your time running to the union for every little thing. Also be mobile. The more mobile you are the more recognition you will receive. Try cross training into another area to widen your experience. Get to where you want to be and change things if you can. Remember that if you want recognition then you have to work with your superiors and not against them as so many who group together and sigh and moan over injustices. Popularity only shows an inability to stand out from among the sheep as a leader.

Answer 3

Those who do their job as indicated by the POST standards, should most definitely receive more recognition for the work they do. It is a stressful job, a dengerous job, a job where administrators should be more concerned for their employee's well-being -- mentally.

Now, if we are talking about those CO's who are corrupted, and disregard the life of others... then we have a whole other issue. Those are the ones who need to be penalized and fired. I think the psychological phase of the hiring process should be more thorough, so as to limit the potentialy anger-stricken, over-zealous personalities that tend to unfold over time. There are a lot of badge-happy individuals in this field. Those are the ones you need to watch for.... and those are the ones who abuse their authority. Why should those of us who do our job the best we can while conforming to policy and procedure, be penalized for what the corrupted, unethical, control-happy individuals do?

I currently work for the county as an officer. I cannot even begin to tell you how stressful it is to work in an agency that does not make an effort to give their employees more recognition. The daily stress and our never-ending efforts to provide safey and security constantly go un-noticed.

Answer 4

If you're referring to Police Officers, I suggest you speak to any wife or family member, of an officer.

I'm sure that every time an officer leaves the house for duty, those members watch him/her walk away, and wonder if he/she will come home again.

Ironically, they don't ask for praise and recognition, but they sure as hell deserve it and more. Like the military, it seems to only come when they are killed in action.

Answer 5

yes, it's a very stressful job. They are good and bad people in all professions. My husband is a correctional officer and seems the system is all about rights of inmates and no compassion for the officers.

Answer 6

Yes, they should.

They are in danger every day.

The job can be boring. We should hope that that is true, but in many cases they are surrounded by those that would do them harm if they could.

They take a lot of verbal abuse.

They also have an opportunity to change lives. Rather then make criminals even harder criminals, they can shpe a person to recover and survive.

Answer 7

There may be one or two who do, however if you read some of the reports that come through some of the family support groups you'll find some the prison system (particularly in California) are in a bit of a right pickle at the moment + it seems their union has the State governors wrapped round their finger, so to speak.

One of my favourite online friends (who I haven't heard from in a couple of years now) had a step-dad who was a prison guard..... got cleared of involvement in a fatal prison beating, but later got sent down himself for having underage sex with her. Hope he's getting the sh*t kicked out of him. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1:111016990/EX-GUARD+JAILED+FOR+SEX+ABUSE~R~(News).html

Answer 8

Yes. A highly stressful and dangerous job. They keep the bad guys in.

Answer 9

I do not know how much they get paid, but where I live they do the body cavity searches in our jails, so yes they should get paid more. That is soooooooo gross.

Answer 10

Are you talking about jail guards? No. They should be monitored. I was falsely arrested (by my ex- domestic violence) and was in jail for 3 weeks before he realized he had locked up his meal ticket & did his best to get me out. They treated me like ****. Innocent until proven guilty my a**!!!! I saw them touch women's breasts, etc & there's nothing they can do about it. Who can they complain to? The guard laughed at her when she said she would report him!