Correctional/Detention Officer - “I am a Target”

Just a couple of days away from Correctional Officer Week and officers are being blasted by the media for mistakes, misconduct and investigations that reveal corruption and unethical conduct rampant in such places as the Baltimore jail where 13 officers have been arrested for crimes and conspiring to work an organized crime plan inside the very same jail they work in. Leaning in on the media's assault on correctional and detention officers, they blatantly slam all officers for what appeared to be “A shocking indictment of 13 Baltimore prison guards last week is an extreme example of what happens when people on the "lowest rung" of the criminal justice career ladder succumb to corruption.”

The media needs to pump their brakes on this story of corrupt officers and balance the fact that these individuals do not represent the entire profession or performance of the many that do good work. Labeling such officers as “under-qualified, underpaid and virtually invisible” is an understatement that needs to be explored. The media is often quick to crucify officers and blame them for the bad things that happen inside of prisons or large jails. It is common to do so and must stop. There is more to the story and the media needs to be more responsible to report the truth and the whole truth, not just what has been disclosed in one story or investigation. Very rarely do they pursue a story good enough to reveal the very fiber of the breakdown and accept a press release by the administration as good faith that operations will be restored when in fact, the administration might be flawed as well.

These officers are first responders. They save lives and stop many crimes from being committed once a person is incarcerated for a prolonged period of time. They are the invisible cops that hold things together when nobody else is paying attention once they are convicted and sent off to the prison systems that are out of sight and out of mind. The truth is that many officers are assaulted daily while on the job. Carrying no guns and working with inadequate tools of control, they get things done because they have the guts to face their challenges and complete their assignments. They are exposed to bio-hazards that can bring a deadly disease or illness to their families and work under the worst conditions imaginable even for a modern country such as the United States.

Their presence in the dark corridors of corrections makes them truly invisible to the public and even the media but not to those that have stood side by side through decades of professionalism and dedication to keep our communities safe and reduce violent offenders from escaping their custody while getting paid minimum wages to do so. Except for some officers in those heavy unionized states such a California, many do this because the need a job when unemployment is high and the economy is slow.

It would behoove the media to learn more about the positive things correctional and detention officers do in the line of duty. It would make a better story to report the bad and I am guessing that is why the good is rarely reported However, making correctional officers targets of mean and shameful articles is irresponsible and damaging to the profession and the individuals that work there. Writing such quotes made by experts such as Martin Horne who said "Every state and municipality in the country has cut its officer staffing," criminal justice expert Martin Horn told us. "I firmly believe that the result is officers are terrified. One way of keeping themselves safe is aligning with the inmates." is most irresponsible reporting since we are talking about less than 10 percent of the work force this may apply to.

In addition, there is no mention of how the lack of administrative support can foster such criminal behaviors as the focus is always on the officer and not the administration that is responsible for ensuring the management tools for a safe and orderly operation are in good condition and capable of detecting misconduct or neglect in security operations or other elements of the environment. One must balance the view when reporting and making officers target for publicity purposes is a cheap shot when most of them have no real idea what the profession is all about. In fact, it is for certain that their own reporting is biased and skewed to the point where many things are taken out of content or context to make the story more interesting and sell more papers regardless of the truth.