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.
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.
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As far as I know there are not hard restricitons about ink, though clearly if you have things that look like gang tattoos or strong non-standard political statements you will have a problem. If you have a lot of ink you may want to wear a lot of long-sleeved shirts.
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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.
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First sign is he wants you to marry him just before he goes away. He will then very probably try to guilt trip you for not sending him enough money, not coming to visit him enough, not sending you nude photos of yourself, try to ensure you accept lots of very expensive collect calls from him, etc. He may try to get you to get your girl friends to do likewise for his buddies, who are just poor, lonely misunderstood people. If he has an EXTENSIVE record and is still doing crime, he will almost certainly continue to do so until he dies or is too old to continue. If you want to retain any level of self esteem you should walk away, politely but FIRMLY.
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TV Meteorologist
Is having a weatherman really better than just throwing to a 5-day forecast screen?
Bartender
Which customers are the worst tippers?
Inner City English Teacher
How prevalent are teen pregnancies in your school?
That isn't really my end of the business. Even if the Texas cops decide to go after him, which they might not, California may not pay to extradite him back to CA. CA will enter a warrant into the system on him. If he comes into contact with the cops after that they will arrest him. What happens depends a lot of what he was actually convicted of. Sorry I could not help more. It is completely possible that nothing will happen. It is also compltely possible they will ship him back to CA as an absconder.
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Inmates are very good at guilt-tripping family members to send them money, or to send money to a third party on some pretext, such as for "protection" or for jailhouse lawyer legal help. Also inmates can buy stuff from the canteen and they need money for that so it is reasonable for them to ask. If they can get 3 or 4 people to send them money they can get a fair income, then send that out to third parties to pay for drugs. It isn't that hard. Inmates are not, for the most part, stupid and they have lots of time on their hands to come up with ideas.
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Take every promotional exam you are eligible for, even if you do not think you will do that great. The experience is helpful.
Learn your job. Do your job. Show up to work on time. Help other cops do their job. Learn how to write a superior quality report. All of these things will stand you in good stead with other cops, which will help you get promoted. Try to get along with the suits, even the ones who are clearly idiots. You don't have to like them, you do have to get along with them. Try to get along with the union, even if you don't like unions. They are important, and they do good work.
Try to figure out who the dump-trucks are. Avoid them as much as possible. That way when something stupid happens you don't get splashed with it by accident. Don't do stupid stuff. Especially don't do REALLY stupid stuff. Ask questions. As a newbie you will learn more with your mouth closed than otherwise. Try to find a couple of good, senior officers who believe in development of new staff and learn from them. (Many senior officers hate newbies. It isn't as bad as it used to be, but it is still there.) Keep your personal life straight. If bill collectors start hounding you at work, a lot of people will get pissed at you. I would also advise you to not fish off the company pier, but with the weird hours and days off it is sometimes hard to socialize outside the job. WATCH THE BOOZE. Stay AWAY from drugs, even the semi-legal weed.
(If you are an attractive female the flat-back school of promotion still works in many prisons. It is tacky and sleazy, but it does work.)
Your first year is a learning experience. View it that way.
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