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

My boyfriend quit after 1 week after the academy as a C/O if he changes his mind later is he rehirable?

Asked by Mel almost 11 years ago

Probably, though they might be uninterested in investing a full 14 weeks in someone who bails after only one week.  Depends a lot on why he left and how hard up the department is for people.  Presumably he already passed the background or he wouldn't have been in the academy.

How long does it usually take for a contraband watch

Asked by Jay Jay about 11 years ago

Back when i was working, it usually ran three shifts.  If they were absolutely positive the guy had something it could run as long as nine shifts.  That was unusual, it gets expensive.

I'm in the deep stages to becoming a CO, I have a speech disorder (slight stutter) which I let them know about in the original application. Will this be an issue later in the process? Will restrictions be applied to the task I'll be able to perform?

Asked by cesar over 10 years ago

The real problem will be if it slows you down much, especially on the radio.  If it does it could become a serious issue.  Some people their stutter becomes worse when they become nervous, or frightened, or otherwise stressed.  As far as I know there is no such thing as a no-radio position.  I would be much more concerned about that than about a slight stutter in face-to-face confrontations. 

Hello. I am a student doing research on prison overcrowding and its effect on drugs. In your experience, how does a prison environment affect one’s relation to drug use? Is it positive, negative, or neutral? And what do individuals abuse most?

Asked by Rosalie about 11 years ago

In my experience, neutral.  Druggies still use in prison.  Drugs are easy to get in prison.  They are about 4X more expensive than on the street, but are still easy to get.  A recent mainstream news report just released a report on that subject in fact.  It said that, when tested in June of last year, 23% of the prisoners tested came up positive for illegal drugs and 30% of the sample refused to be tested, even though the sampling was anonymous and there was no way to connect the samples back to an individual person.

what are the standard questions asked to a victim when the perp exposes himself to the victim and masturbates what are normal questions an officer would ask that victim the perp got away btw

Asked by Victimized almost 11 years ago

Couldn't really say.  I have never been a street cop.  It comes up fairly often in the prison setting, usually with female cops making the complaint, but we don't have to pull information out of the complainant under those circumstances.

I was asked many question and thought that many were very inappropriate to me and had nothing to do with the situation at hand.. the officer asked me if I knew what hand the guy was using to touch himself why would that matter?

Asked by Victimized almost 11 years ago

Like I said, I have never been a street cop.  I suppose it might make a difference if they thought you were lying, or if they wanted to tell how solid a witness you were.  Maybe he is a confirmed left-hand weenie wacker and if you say he was using his right that would tend to indicate you were lying.  I very honestly don't know the answer.

Do you think the courts have been too intrusive in the operations of jails?

Asked by lily almost 11 years ago

Yes.  Very much so.