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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455 Questions

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Last Answer on February 10, 2022

Best Rated

Why would a prison play country music at all hours?

Asked by Brad almost 6 years ago

Because they are too stupid to play Rock and Roll.

Hello, I’m wondering if inmates can still purchase items from commissary while on C status? I’ve read they can, but only $35 for the month, and I have also read 1/4 the usual maximum can be spent with authorization. Not sure what that all means.

Asked by DL87 about 6 years ago

It has been a LONG time since I have worked in the system but..... Back in the day inmates on A status could spend a full monthly draw assuming they had the money on the books. The more of a screw-up you were, the less money you were allowed to spend. An inmate on C status could spend just enough to buy some things like tooth paste, deoderant, shaving cream, etc. Of course they COULD still spend in on fig newtons and soda. It was, and presumably still is, a flawed system. Like many privileges it gave staff a handle, something to take away if the inmate screwed up. A very modest carrot-stick approach.

Are officers issued PPE for this virus?

Asked by asdfasdf almost 6 years ago

Damned if I know. I have been retired for 15 years. Back in the day we did issue gloves but I strongly suspect anything that needed PPE equipment would be handled by medical, not custody.

Your take on Gorge Floyd

Asked by See deee over 5 years ago

That is easy. 1.) George Floyd wasn't a saint. He was a multiple convicted robber and a doper who had illegal drugs in his system at the time of his arrest. 2) He almost certainly had just passed a fake $20 bill in a store is why the cops were called. 3) Many honest people accidentally pass counterfeit currency they get in change every year. 4) Based on my limited knowledge of the situation I find it very hard to understand why they took him out of the police car and laid him down on the ground. 5) Anyone with any brains or any training knows about positional asphxia and how dangerous it is to leave a person face down on the ground with their hands restrained behind them, especially if you are adding pressure from above. 6) Floyd and the cop knew each other. 7) The cop's actions were, imho, at least grossly negligent and almost certainly criminal. 8) I am unsure about the laws in MN but it is possible the other three cops have some criminal liability for failure to act to protect Floyd. It is also possible they don't. 9) Passing funny money, EVEN IF you do it on purpose, is not and should not be a capital offense. 10) The cop is toast. Maybe the other three cops are toast too. 11) I don't see how it helps the situation to loot and burn businesses.





What do you think of SHOCK treatment and victim impacts panels? Do you think they help people change or just throwing tax dollars at people who are unwilling to change

Asked by Robery over 5 years ago

A shock treatment is a medical procedure. I have no expertise in that area, though as a moderately well informed non-medical person I think they are of dubious benefit and, as far as I know, are no longer used anywhere. (Unless you mean something else I am unfamiliar with.)

I have no practical experience with Victim Impact Panels. I suspect the bad guys don't give a diddly damn about victims, if they did they wouldn't be bad guys.

My final question is why can we not do stay at home protests because where killing old people but the BLM and ANTIFA can march in thousands (some without masks) and tear shit up and the cops let them do things like sit in the street and tear up stautues

Asked by Dimmie over 5 years ago

Because a lot of people in positions of power and authority derive political power from allowing it to happen. Also there is a lot of White guilt and legitimate bad feelings about what is pretty obviously a White cop killing a Black man for no apparent reason.

What would you do if you got Bill Hilary and Chelsey in your prison?

Asked by JAY almost 6 years ago

Since I have been retired for 15 years, probably nothing. Also, neither Hillary nor Chelsey would come there, it is a male institution. Bill would probably be in protective custody. So I would probably laugh at him a lot, if I was there, which I wouldn't be.