EDITOR'S CORNER

‘Protect and Serve.’ You’ve heard it over and over when it comes to your job. As a CO, priority one is to protect your facility and community while serving the public. In this week’s Corrections Connection, regular contributor Barry Evert encourages all officers to support this mantra by not downplaying their daily observations, but instead communicating what they see and hear to units that monitor threat groups. In doing so, you’ll not only protect and serve on a higher level, but also help, as Evert says, "to treat this infection in our country’s prisons.”
Jim

Tell us what you think at editor@corrections.com.

FEATURED STORY

Treating an infection within

By Barry Evert

Identifying disruptive groups efficiently

In all correctional settings there are inmates, or groups of inmates who strive to take control over their environment. As most of us are aware, the battle between groups to take control over their “yard space” or drug trading rights can lead to violent, unpredictable incidents.

Those officers who have to respond to and clean up the scene, and who are assaulted or otherwise injured trying to restore the peace, are usually the victims of these incidents. Over the years much has been tried to alleviate the influence of these disruptive groups, but the perfect solution still eludes us as a whole. More

Have an article or story idea? Send them to editor@corrections.com.

GET PUBLISHED

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READER FEEDBACK

Regarding Check it at the gate, avoid the burnout, 6/13/07

I totally agree with the ideas in this article. I work in the main intake hub for Phoenix, AZ, and I work with all male offenders. I deal with custody levels from 1 to 5 minimum to max custody, and I am a supervisor. Along with dealing with inmates, I also have to concentrate on the needs of my officers.

Our mental health inmates can really get to you on a daily routine. I agree that this department can change you. I am a very different person after five years of service, but would I change my job? No. I am in a career that is very constant with much room for advancement. I tell myself everyday this is a career, and I try not to absorb the negativity that comes with this difficult job.

My advice is to avoid becoming what we do. Stay who you are. You are a CO for a living, but leave that at the gate and then be who you are; a person that believes family comes first. It is a difficult job, and the praise usually doesn't exist, and if it comes it’s minimal. But, stay emotionally healthy and stay safe.
Sargeant D. Jackson

Have an opinion? Send them to editor@corrections.com.

LOOKING AHEAD

Developing Stories Upcoming stories on Corrections.com and the Corrections Connection ezine Emergency Planning - What administrators need to know It’s not Disney World - Florida gangs Plea Bargaining Tell us what you'd like to read about!

Focus Issues 2007 August Off the Clock - What practitioners do in their leisure time - Tell us what you do in your off time. September Education & Training - What’s new from area conferences October Health - Coverage of current health issues and programs Submit an idea for a focus issue

CORRECTIONS.COM FEATURE STORIES

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In states like Oregon where agriculture is the leading industry and a farming labor supply is always in demand, farmers often face the challenge of housing migrant farm workers who travel between regions and states to find work. More

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I am a big advocate of continuing education on job specific areas throughout your career. The information I give my students is what they can use that night or their next shift. When we talk about methods of attack I mean how, or the most probable way an inmate or criminal will attack you. More

Santisima Muerte: Patron saint of security threat groups

As a security threat group coordinator you may discover a mysterious image that has been appearing on the skin and in the writings of a number of criminal organizations. ‘Santisima Muerte’ or ‘Holy Death’ is an image that is finding popularity among members of such gangs as MS-13 as well as members of Mexican drug cartels. More

BUSINESS NEWS

Federal Bureau of Prisons licenses ATG’s pharmacy administration system

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (Bureau) has licensed ATG’s Pharmacy Administration System for all its 114 institutions nationwide. The system has been successfully piloted and full deployment is expected to be completed in 24 months. More

Community Education Centers acquires CiviGenics

Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC), the leading provider of offender reentry services, today announced that it has acquired CiviGenics, Marlborough, Mass., the largest provider of in-prison treatment programs. More

PCS Awarded the San Diego County Sheriff's Detention Facilities, California Inmate Telephone Service Contract

Public Communications Services, Inc. the industry leader in providing inmate communications solutions to the corrections industry, is pleased to announce that San Diego County, California Sheriff's Department has signed a 3 year contract with PCS, Inc. for their inmate telephone services. More

CAREER WATCH

Missouri Probation and Parole Board Chairman appointed Steve Long, the MODOC’s Division of Offender Rehabilitative Services director has been tapped to be Missouri’s Probation and Parole Board Chairman. His appointment is subject to Senate confirmation for a term ending August. 28, 2012. Read more

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EVENTS

National Commission on Correctional Health Care Mental Health Conference in Las Vegas

Date: 7/15 - 7/16/07
Mental health care providers, administrators and others responsible for treating the mentally ill in correctional settings will gather in Las Vegas July 15-16 for the National Commission on Correctional Health Care’s mental health conference, Correctional Mental Health: Bridging the Gap More

Stress Management for Women

Date: 7/16 - 7/16/07
In this course you will learn proven strategies and tactics to: -Attack stress at its source. -Know the 7 major causes of stress and how to neutralize them. -Defeat workplace stress.More

NIJ Conference 2007

Date: 7/23 - 7/25/07
For 14 years, the NIJ annual conference has brought together criminal justice scholars, policymakers, and practitioners at the local, State, and Federal levels to share the most recent findings from research and technology. More

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

When a thing ceases to be a subject of controversy, it ceases to be a subject of interest.
- William Hazlitt, English essayist (1778 - 1830)

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