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BCJ 2002, Theory and Practices of Corrections 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit V Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

4. Examine the organization and effectiveness of corrections. 4.1 Identify and explain the types of power officers have in institutions and

discuss the personality types of officers in the correctional environment.

5. Examine the challenges faced by the correctional system. 5.1 Examine the importance of officer safety as one of the five key elements

that officers deal with on a daily basis.

7. Analyze prison life and the effect it can have on individuals and society. 7.1 Identify corruption and misconduct in jails and prisons and the various

methods and forms that are used to conduct these activities.

Unit Lesson Correctional Corruption Corruption is a topic that no correctional officer likes to discuss; unfortunately, however, it exists and needs to be dealt with in a swift and concise manner. The book briefly discusses a particular case that occurred in the Baltimore area. While the example in the book is particularly disturbing, levels of corruption go deeper and higher up than the officer walking the cell block. This lecture will look at corruption, starting from the top and working its way down to the regular floor officer. The Florida Department of Corrections suffered a scandal in the last 10 years that went very public very fast. In July of 2006, the Florida Department of Corrections Secretary, James Crosby, was sentenced to eight years in a federal prison. State and federal investigators determined that Crosby was involved receiving kickbacks on contracts from a company based in Gainesville, Florida. The company paid James Crosby $130,000 for exclusive rights to the contract worth $1.5 million dollars to sell snacks and drinks to visitors at state-run correctional institutions (Galnor, 2007). This investigation also brought other allegations of corruption. These included misuse of government property for officer and command staff personal use, steroid abuse among officers, abuse of force against inmates, misuse of government funds for athletic teams, misuse and consumption of alcohol on state property, and embezzlement from the state run recycling plant (Galnor, 2007). This is an unfortunate example of a case where corruption started at the top and worked its way through the ranks into the development of the culture of the department. In the state of Texas, seven correctional officers pled guilty to racketeering charges involving narcotics, guns, and stolen vehicles. These officers smuggled drugs and cell phones into the prison. The cell phones were then sold to other inmates and used to

Reading Assignment Chapter 9: The Staff World: Managing the Prison Population

Suggested Reading See information below.

Learning Activities (Non-Graded) See information below.

Key Terms 1. Block officers 2. Custodial staff 3. Mission 4. Program staff 5. Purpose 6. Staff subculture 7. Structured conflict 8. Vision

UNIT V STUDY GUIDE

Officers and the

Incarcerated Population

BCJ 2002, Theory and Practices of Corrections 2

orchestrate criminal activity outside the prison that included selling stolen vehicles to Mexican cartels across the US border (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2013). Why would a correctional officer take part in these actions at the risk of his or her career and the likelihood of prison time? While these two examples are cases that took years to investigate, we can look at cases of corruption that are far simpler in nature as well. Corruption takes on many forms. Some of these include male correctional officers having sexual relationships with female inmates, and female officers having sexual relationships with male officers. Inappropriate same sex relationships do occur, but the frequency is not as often in the correctional setting. Other forms of corruption include the misuse and abuse of force that includes excessive force and the failure to report it once it has occurred. Falsifying discipline reports, abusing prescribed narcotics while on duty, sleeping on duty, racism, misuse of information, and smuggling of contraband including drugs and cell phones into facilities are all other forms of common misconduct and corruption in the correctional setting. Have you recently heard of anything similar happen in the area in which you reside? If so, what was the outcome? Why do correctional corruption and officer misconduct occur? Some forms of corruption are a personal choice like sleeping on duty, abuse of medication, or falsifying reports. Other forms of corruption involve inmate manipulation. The fact is that correctional officers are surrounded by criminals and the criminal element every day for the entire day they are at work. Inmates have nothing but time on their hands. Officers and staff members lead lives outside the correctional institution. Inmates watch officers all day. They learn the habits of the officers and see interpersonal working relationships develop or become strained. Inmates develop the understanding of personality types of the floor officers they see every day. They will also listen to officers’ general conversations with each other to gain information. Inmates that plan on manipulating staff members make a calculated decision as to who they will pick as a mark for their criminal activity. Consider the fact that an inmate is incarcerated, most likely because he or she victimized and/or manipulated a person or situation, to his or her advantage for some sort of personal gain that resulted in criminal activity. Manipulation is basically standard operating procedure for these individuals (Tulloch, 2010). Inmates that need an officer to conduct some form of criminal activity are looking for certain observations. As was stated earlier, they watch and listen to officers to figure out who they will choose as their subject. There are several factors that create the impression that an officer would make an easy target for manipulation. They are a lack of engagement with coworkers or chain of command, being dissatisfied with the job, unhappy with your personal life, or having trouble with personal finances. An officer that publicly complains about the chain of command within earshot of inmates is sure to be noticed. When an officer is disengaged with the job and constantly text messaging or letting rules slide, he or she gives the impression to the inmate that he or she does not care about the outcome of the job. To avoid this perception, officers should never voice their opinion about management in the presence of inmates. If an inmate believes that the officers feel that the chain of command is against them, they may see this as an opportunity to manipulate the officers to “get even” with the command staff. Officers should remain engaged in their job. Yes, there are times in their lives where they need to communicate with a spouse or a child for certain issues. This needs to be done away from the view of inmates. Talking on the phone in front of inmates should never be done for personal reasons (Tulloch, 2010). Officers that openly express dissatisfaction with their job present themselves as an easy target for manipulation. When officers openly state that they are tired of the conditions but cannot leave, sick of the inmate behavior, begin to show empathy

BCJ 2002, Theory and Practices of Corrections 3

toward inmates for the conditions in which they are living, or talk openly about “wanting more out of life,” they become a target for manipulation. The easiest way to avoid appearing like a potential target would be to not discuss your dissatisfaction publicly in the facility (Tulloch, 2010). Officers that are publicly unhappy with their personal lives are a particularly easy target for both male and female inmates. When correctional officers discuss their personal lives either with a coworker or on the phone in front of an inmate, they set themselves up for disaster. Inmates that are seeking to manipulate an officer for monetary gain or sexual favors will utilize this observation to their advantage. Inmates will typically hear pieces of conversations and begin to ask questions about the officer’s personal life, either from that officer or their coworkers. Once they obtain information, they will begin a more direct approach to their manipulation tactics. They will usually try to become friendly with the officer and talk to them on a personal level and get the officer to confide in them. Once they have personal secrets or information, they have the opportunity to blackmail that officer if the officer does not willingly cooperate. This manipulation tactic is typically used to obtain sexual favors from officers in an attempt to blackmail them into doing other criminal deeds. The best way officers can avoid this issue is by having clear boundaries between them and the inmates. There is no need for officers to discuss their personal lives in the presence of inmates (Tulloch, 2010). When officers talk to each other in the presence of inmates and they discuss their finances and inmates hear that an officer is having trouble paying bills, they become an easy target for manipulation. If an officer is in a situation, for example, where he or she is having trouble paying for tuition and medical bills at the same time and discussing it openly, he or she could be a mark for an inmate looking to smuggle drugs into and out of the facility. If an inmate offers an officer, who is on the verge of financial collapse, 5,000 dollars to bring a cell phone and pills into the facility, it could become attractive to that officer (Tulloch, 2010). Why does this behavior occur? People wonder why this happens when you become employed in this profession because you should know what you are getting into when you go for the interview. While this is a true statement, it is important to understand that viewpoints change over time, and the level of exposure to the criminal element in corrections is unlike any other profession in the workforce. It is impossible to understand every officer’s mindset that commits corruption or misconduct because every circumstance is different from the next one. What we see in some of these cases is a level of moral bankruptcy that makes the entire profession look bad in the eyes of the public. Officers that engage in these behaviors add to the stress of the day for the officers that have appropriate boundaries. There is no easy solution for the officer that observes these behaviors in their fellow officer. It is important for officers to understand the methods of manipulation that inmates engage in so they can protect themselves, their livelihood, and their families from the pitfalls of this behavior.

References Galnor, M. (2007, April 25). 8 years in prison for Crosby. The Florida Times Union.

Retrieved from http://jacksonville.com/tu- online/stories/042507/met_165405615.shtml

Tulloch, B. (2010). Guarding against manipulation by criminal offenders. Australasian

Journal of Correctional Staff Development. Retrieved from http://www.bfcsa.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/223759/Guarding- against-Manipulation-by-Criminal-Offenders.pdf

BCJ 2002, Theory and Practices of Corrections 4

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (2013, April 3). 7 Texas correctional officers plead guilty to racketeering for smuggling drugs and cell phones to prison inmates. Retrieved from http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1304/130403corpuschristi.htm

Suggested Reading 7 Ex-correction officers plead guilty. (2013, April 4). KRGV.com. Retrieved from

http://www.krgv.com/news/7-ex-correction-officers-plead-guilty/ Galnor, M. (2007, April 25). 8 years in prison for Crosby. The Florida Times Union.

Retrieved from http://jacksonville.com/tu- online/stories/042507/met_165405615.shtml

Tulloch, B. (2010). Guarding against manipulation by criminal offenders. Australasian

Journal of Correctional Staff Development. Retrieved from http://www.bfcsa.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/223759/Guarding- against-Manipulation-by-Criminal-Offenders.pdf

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (2013, April 3). 7 Texas correctional

officers plead guilty to racketeering for smuggling drugs and cell phones to prison inmates. Retrieved from http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1304/130403corpuschristi.htm

Learning Activities (Non-Graded) Flash Cards For a review of the Key Terms of the unit, click here to access the interactive Unit V Jeopardy in PowerPoint form. (Click here to access a PDF version.) Non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.