Ask a Correctional Officer anything

454 Questions

Last Answer on February 10, 2022

Hello, why do people say something was a mistake when it was not. Maybe a bad CHOICE but not a mistake. Say, having sex with someone under age if they did not know he/she was under age that was a mistake. if they did not know that was a poor choice. but i dont understand why sometimes their like when.it was sometning that was just something that was blaintly a bad and dumb CHOICE they say "IT WAS A MISTAKE" do you know why? bad choice of wording maybe? also, why do people buy it?

Asked by Mike over 4 years ago

It is normal for people (even bad or stupid people) to not want to think they made a bad choice. So, instead, they made a MISTAKE in their minds. Accidentally grabbing unsalted butter out of the case when you actually wanted salted butter is a mistake. A 20-year old guy having sex with a 12-year old girl is not a mistake, it is a crime. However they think they can avoid responsibility by calling it a mistake, an honest error. It is human nature, and some people will buy into it. Another analogy would be when you are pulled over for doing 65 in a 55 zone. You might have honestly thought it was a 65 zone and you were doing 65 on purpose. You also might have thought you were doing 55 and just were not paying attention. Those could both be honest mistakes. Doing 80 in a school zone is not a mistake. It is a crime and is also dangerous and stupid. Few people want to admit they did something dangerous and stupid. Especially if they get caught at it.

274 Votes

Do weighted vests really work to help calm someone down? I seen it before on inmates. How effective are they?

Asked by Marty almost 4 years ago

I have heard they are effective, but I have never used one nor even seen one used. Can't help you much. Sorry.

272 Votes

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Did you ever have a problem with your hand held radios. Ronald spotted some BS suspicious activity, Dave saw something you would never believe, Marlene is going to tell everyone what she is having for lunch today, Darrel is taking a bathroom break, Bobbi Sue is having her nails done, Bob saw something you would never believe it oh my gosh come check it out, Dan is just talking to hear himself talk and it goes on and on meanwhile you have a fight or something and you can’t get on the air. I mean there is a priority or emergency button but sometimes there are not emergencies but when you want to get on but people are just talking to hear themselves talk. Did you ever have that?

Asked by Lol over 4 years ago

The radios we had when I left were 80 mghtz radios but did not have a priority circuit on them. There is, of course, not supposed to be a lot of BS traffic on the radios, they are supposed to be official business and not idle chitchat. Whoever is in charge should have something to say about obvious misuse of the system. .

271 Votes

How did you treat inmates in general?

Asked by Kim over 4 years ago

I was always somewhat formal. It worked for me, that was my personality. Some people were more towards the friendly side, others more hostile. The inmates can handle pretty much anything but vacillation If you are an asshole, be an asshole all the time. If you are officer friendly, be officer friendly all the time. MOST inmates want to do their time with a minimum of drama. They react reasonably well to being treating like human beings in awkward circumstances. That is reality, they can relate to it.

270 Votes

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Asked by Queen over 4 years ago

I have been retired for over 15 years but I suspect it is about the same as it has been for 60 years. Lame supervisors. Incompetent administrators. Irritating politicians. Prisoners who think they are being picked on just because you want them to follow the rules everybody else has to follow. The usual suspects.

270 Votes

How to know if an inmate smuggled a phone tk talk to me ? He never said who he was. Just asked am I okay and said how u know its nto me. I called aagin few times. Voicemaik came phoen was dead after he said gotta go. Think its him idk

Asked by Deanna de almost 4 years ago

Hard to say. Prison calls come from monitored phones and are collect. A recording say something like "Will you accept a collect call from an inmate at San Quentin State Prison" (or whatever). I don't know if jails do the same thing, but as far as I know jail calls are collect too. If it was not a collect call it was probably made on a smuggled cell phone, or possibly as three way connection from somebody else on the outside making the link-up.

268 Votes

You sound like a Trump voter is this true?

Asked by Beto over 4 years ago

I am capable of critical thinking and independent thought, so I expect that makes me sound like a Trump voter, especially to people who are not Trump voters. Of course, that doesn't mean I VOTED for Trump, just that it is true that I sound like a Trump voter.

268 Votes