Bob Walsh
Stockton, CA
Male, 60
I worked for the California state system, starting as a Correctional Officer and retiring as a Lieutenant in 2005. I now write for the PacoVilla blog which is concerned with what could broadly be called The Correctional System.
Not specifically as long as they were misdemeanors. However, at least in California, one of the general qualifications is "a satisfactory record as a law-abiding citizen." Also I beleive you need a current drivers license. You might have to work hard to convince an oral panel that you now have your head screwed on correctly.
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Actually I have only bumped into three inmates on the streets since I retired, and those interactions were all very banal and generally positive.
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Yes, there is a general prohibition aginst overfamiliarity with the families of inmates or the inmates themselves. The idea is to prevent pressure, in either direction, to influence treatment or to expose the staff to problems. Staff are required to inform the system in writing when a family member or close friend comes into the jurisdicition of the department.
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The drugs are paid for by by the taxpayers in California. The feds require that Calif. state inmates be given name brand, as opposed, to generic medication. A few are covered by private or other government insurance, but essentially the taxpayers pay.
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I don't know. I am making an educated guess in saying that it is part of the scale being used right now for risk assessment / classification, but without a scale I don't know if it is high, low or in between. Sorry. The system has changed at least twice since I retired nearly nine years ago.
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There is, I understand, a higher than avereage divorce rate among law enforcement in general, including correctional officers. i am hardly an expert, but i would guess it goes across many layers. A lot of it is the shift work and odd hours, which can make it hard to interact normally with a family. A lot of it is you tend to share the job with other people on the job, and not with the family. That can make your relationships with your peers seem stronger (more important) than your bonds to your family when your family is looking at it. There are a fair number of women working in the profession now and, like any other profession, some of them are hunting for husbands and are not too fussy about taking someone elses if they can. (Yes, that is somewhat sexist. Such is life.) There is also a certain "us versus them" feeling about law enforcment work, and the "them" is anybody who is not law enforcement, including your family at times. It all adds up.
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Yes. There is no prohbition against the family of a felon becoming a peace officer in California. They may look at you a bit sideways, especially if he/she is heavily gang involved as they may suspect you are a mole. There is, however, no prohibition against it. If that person is still under the jurisdcition of the department you must report the situation however.
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