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

If you go by yourself with the two prisoners and one ran away, what is your fast action you will do

Asked by Paul about 10 years ago

For starters you should NEVER be in that position in the first place.  Assuming it did happen, you go with the bird in the hand and keep custody of the prisoner you have.  You might be justified in shooting at the fleeing prisoner, but you would not deliberately loose the one you still have to maybe catch the one who is running. 

Is there a way to look up where a CO works? I'm trying to find my sisters dad, we havnt had any contact with him in 10-12 years and I have some questions.

Asked by Synthia almost 10 years ago

I don't know.  In California the state maintains a web site that can tell you what job an individual person has with the state, but not necessarily the location.  There are 33 prisons in CA so you would have to call each individual prison and check with the personnel office.  At least in CA the information is not confidential.  Other employers might have different ways of doing things.  Now days there are lots of commercial web sites that can locate an individual for a modest fee, so as long as you have a name and an approximate age or birth date it shouldn't be that hard.

What do you see as the most important role a Corrections
Counselor has in the prison system?

Asked by Neal Bracken over 9 years ago

Critical thinking skills and report writing skills.

How would cognitive therapy help in counseling inmates?

Asked by Neal Bracken over 9 years ago

My opinion, for what that may be worth is, generally speaking, no.

Why do inmates get tablets in a correctional place it doesn't teach them anything they shouldn't have to freedoms someone like me or you would have and we did nothing wrong and they commited a crime its not teaching them a thing what so ever

Asked by Caela almost 9 years ago

With all due respect that may be the most poorly constructed question I have ever read in my life.  A little punctuation would be nice too.  I THINK you are asking in prisoners are issued tablets (i.e. ipads) as part of the "correctional experience" or as some part of a training program.  I am unaware of any jurisdiction that does so.

Have you ever met another CO who liked to rat on other COs whenever they made minor/honest mistakes on the job? How did you deal with a "rat" CO? The person I'm talking about is a new guy that just graduated from the academy.

Asked by Carl S. over 9 years ago

Yes I have.  Since it is no longer permissible to thump such a person in the parking lot after work you are advised to avoid working with such a person and avoid screwing up when they are around, which is good advice in general.  Usually such people become well known quickly and become very unpopular very quickly.  People avoid them like the plague and let others know about them.  Sometimes that serves to change their habits.  Sometimes not, especially if they have friends or relatives in high places.  There  are jerks in any workplace and you have to learn how to deal with or avoid them. 

What's academy like? I'm a 32 year old military veteran. Is it going to be anything like BMT (bootcamp)? Because I feel like I'm a bit too old to have some chinstrap screaming/spitting in my face trying to break me down to 'mold' me.

Asked by StalwartHero over 9 years ago

It depends where.  Some jurisdictions use a very bootcamp-like training operation.  Some a very classroom oriented with a minimal physical component and necessary chemical agents and firearms training.