Correctional Officer

Correctional Officer

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.

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Last Answer on February 10, 2022

Best Rated

10yrs ago i married a lifer and we never divorced. ,he has no family im all he has i think thats y we never divorced.So i currently work for the state but want to go to a diff dept. would i not get hired cuz of being married to a lifer

Asked by yvonne over 11 years ago

Should have nothing to do with it unless you go to work for a law enforcement agency and even then it might not.  You would have to report that your spouse is in custody.  That could represent a security issue for some agencies, especially depending on why he is in prison and what gang affiliations he might have.  For instance, if he has a fraud conviction and you would be working where you have access to ID information that might be an issue.

I am married to a felon can I still become a correctional officer.

Asked by Amber almost 12 years ago

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.

Im doing a project on what I want 2b when I grow up im one of thoses people that easily feels sorry for others but I want to be a correctional officer will this effect me if I ever become one? Or will this job train me to learn to be stronger?

Asked by Soniaa_melendez almost 12 years ago

The training will not alter your basic outlook on life.  Expsoure to criminals might.  If you have a tendancy to feel sorry for those "poor people who just made one mistake" you will have a hard time in this job.  If you feel sorry for their victims you will do better.  Professional detachment is the way to go.  In fact it is the ONLY way to go.  If you can't do that, don't go into that line of work.

How often do police officers let people off with a warning?

Asked by TheBarbaricgamer about 11 years ago

Not my field.  I dealt only with convicted felons already in prison.  The matter never came up. 

My son has a mental illness he escape from Vandalia Correctional Center with only 90 days left to serve they have not charged him with the escape yet how long does it take before you know if the state will charge him considering his mental illness.

Asked by Mrs.Cox over 11 years ago

I have no idea what the statute of limitations is on escape.  I am guessing it is three years, though I suspect they will make a decision much sooner than that. 

How to you respond if an inmate verbally disrespects you? Do you ignore it or reprimand the situation so that it dose not escapade or happen again?

Asked by Cason about 12 years ago

Depends how blatant the offense is and how forgiving you are feeling.  Occasional acting out is just an expression of anger or frustration and is not necessarily personal.  If they get really nasty, or become repeat offenders, or are clearly showing off for the homies you then have to do something. 

I was offered two prisons. A medical facility and san quinton. How different are the two prisons? How different is it working in cmf compared to a notorius prison such as a san quinton or pelican bay? Is one more dangerous? Are job duties the same?

Asked by Pal about 12 years ago

I never worked at either.  Back when I was working SQ was much more rough-and-tumble than was CMF Vacaville.  However, except for death row, SQ is now largely mainline medium security I understand.  Vacaville has a lot of sick or disturbed prisoner-patients, and there is a constant tug of war over who actually runs the place, the Chief Medical Officer or the Warden.  I would be inclined to make my decision if I were you on othe factors, such as commute and housing costs.  Unless you already live in the SQ general area those factors would tend to favor Vacaville, plus there are other prisons nearby that you could transfer-promote into later, where SQ is kind of just there by itself.  Job duties are generally the same but the clientel can be very different.