Cowboys and Correctional Officers – What they have in Common & Riding for the Brand

Due to the high incarceration rates in the United States correctional workers have gained a sufficient amount of notice to entitle them a considerable share of public attention. Unfortunately the public has little knowledge of what a correctional officer does for a living and finding another occupation that is close to their way of life was difficult to say the least. However when I searched for commonalities I found a list of characteristics that matched up almost perfectly with a few exceptions here and there but well within a blurred line to consider them analogous in some manner with some elements of a paradox to keep things interesting. Although not a perfect match, the contrast is equal to the task at hand.

Both occupations are unique. Their duties are of those that are to always be on top of things and alert. The cowboy rides the herd on horseback and sees to it that no strays wonder off from their assigned areas. At times these cowboys have to wrangle the cattle and prepare to ship them elsewhere either by land or by rail. Cowboys and officers are both called upon to round up the dispersed herd and collect them for the purpose of branding them or assigning an identification number to them to single them out of the herd if need be.

The main ingredient and chief characteristic of the cowboy and the correctional officer is courage, physical alertness, ability to endure exposures and a kind of skillset to use whatever tools are required to keep the herd together. Cowboys and officers are both creatures of circumstances and act mostly in a reactive mode to keep things orderly and quiet. Some cowboys wear clothing that are distinctive to his or her badge of calling and reflects their personal appearance as a proclamation what sort of person they are. Officers wear uniforms to proclaim their role and also declare what kind of person they are and purpose hired on for.

Strangely cowboys often travel beyond the normal boundaries of society and were scattered over vast areas to ride the herd. Their presence in the wilderness was beyond efficient protection from civilized and organized law thus in essence they became the law as a necessity to maintain order. One could surmise that in many ways, officers do the same thing as the culture and society behind the high fences and iron gates is ruthless and lawless thus a stern hand is needed to maintain law and order.

Some cowboys were characterized as ruffians and an undeveloped class of society. However, like officers working inside the prisons, most of them were better disposed and were true and trustworthy in their role as guardians in where their presence within such a hostile and volatile environment often developed generous human traits of kindness and heroic traits of character. Unfortunately society has tagged them both to be inclined to demonstrate acts of violence or other commit other negative passions upon the slightest provocation around them when the opposite is true as they are both effective peacemakers.

Regardless of public opinion and misunderstandings the cowboy and correctional officer shares a peculiar characteristic that qualifies them to be important to the public. By the mere choices of their occupational assignment as cowboys and correctional officers and by virtue of both of their abilities to demonstrate courage and recklessness when faced with danger, they excel in what they were hired to do.

Demonstrating a skill with firearms and a proven demonstration of their efficiency to handle or influence those things they do which they may have to exert upon others, they have been instrumental in preventing harm to others and preventing outbreaks of events that might impact the community or others around them whether that be a disease such as mad cow disease or other communicable diseases that may occur inside prisons.

Both have exhibited great efficiency in protecting the communities against predatory incursions and possess a staunch personal constitution and attitude throughout their performance to do what it the right thing to do to keep things together.