Not to long ago I started the "why arent DOC considered cops", thread.........now I know.

I am going to do my best to update this thread for anyone wanting to get into the world of Corrections.

When I applied I already had a heavy background in security.  Not the normal mall cop stuff.  Plate carriers, X2, spray, cuffs, certs out the wazoo, blah blah blah.  When I applied, they crammed me through the process so fast it was pretty crazy.  But I learned DOC is so short handed that  if you have a heart beat, you can get through the front door.  They need bodies desperately.  Who wants to work around the people that society has thrown away?  Well.....Apparently, I do.

From the interview to my first day walking through the gate was 2 weeks.  I was under the impression that I would be put through an academy before even setting foot inside the compound.....wrong.

Day 1....intake.  HR shit all day long.

Day 2....In uniform at 0600 standing tall before the Capt.  He looked right at me and said "Lima dorm".  Judging from the giggles of the Sgt.'s and the other officers it was either going to be the Max section or some kind of shit spot.......Turns out he wanted to see what I was made of.  "Lima Dorm" is the Max confinement section.  This is where the murderers, rapists, child molesters, home invasion.....basically the worst of the of the worst.  Trying to describe the first day is hard, its a whirl wind of movement, inmates testing you because you are new and seeing what they can get away with and seeing what you are made of.

I'll be the first one to say that if you think you are going to walk in there without fear.....you are lying to yourself.  You are in their world.  I spent 10 years in the Marines as a tanker, worked 5 years in an environment where I took care of what the jails wouldn't take.  But this actually helped me because I already knew how to speak to "dings" (ding bats) and "Jitts" (Jitterbugs AKA kids).

I was basically thrown to the wolves and told "figure it out".  I was doing security checks in an area where I had to walk shoulder to shoulder with the worst of society.  Since I didn't have a name tape, they knew I was the "new guy" and the inmates were doing everything they could to get a rise out of me.  This is where my age gave me a little bit of an edge, the other 3 I started with are 19 through 21, I'm 45.  Walking a pod with over 60 inmates wandering is no shit scary the first time you do it.  Especially when you are doing your best to look like its no big deal.

First day went by without issue.  Second day was an easy day, I was assigned to a dorm that is in the dog program.  I learned that those guys will follow the straight and narrow because they don't want to lose the privileges that they have.

The next day I show up and the Capt. looks at me and says "Lima Dorm".  I don't know what happened but that day I learned to use my voice.  I learned to speak without being a complete asshole while enforcing the rules.  But I had my first run in with an inmate.  Inmates will follow orders, period.  Inmates will do exactly what you tell them to do, no questions asked.  I had one try and pull my punk card in the yard during chow movement.  He was pissed off and raising hell about something that happened in the chow hall.  When I heard the noise I started moving in on him and he said "what are you going to do, you aren't even certified yet and don't have a badge"......NEVER, NEVER let an inmate talk shit to you.  I rolled on him hard in front of the other inmates and told him that "uniform is new but the game isn't".  His mouth kept going until I had to put him down.  15 days confinement disobeying a direct order.

After that....word got passed that Bronze doesn't put up with shit.

The next few days I have bounced between Max and level 3 custody.  But it was today where I learned to find that balance between getting shit done and being an asshole.  I tried the asshole thing for a day and it really didn't get me anywhere.  But when I dialed myself back and started working smarter (I started thinking of my inmates like they were my Privates and PFC's and LCPL's in the Marines).....Things got MUCH smoother.  Little bit of A-hole mixed with guy that has to make sure you are alive.  Hard but fair and consistency is key.

The Max guys requested me until my FTO said I had to do other stuff.  Today was 12 hours at the check in treating officers like they were inmates....hated it.  Every officer coming in I had to search, x ray his stuff and pat him down.  I hated this because in the back of my head I knew this is how inmates get cell phones and drugs.  I made sure that EVERY.SINGLE officer that came through the gate got the full "sweet Bronze love pat down".  I didnt care if it was the Capt. or the Colonel.  You pass through my area, I'm gonna gut you.  But 12 hours of that....the suck meter hit the redline.

At home having a couple beers and letting the stress fall away.  Next week, don't know whats going to happen.

UPDATE #1
Found my first shiv.  Doing security checks and went passed a cell and just got the "bad vibe" about the inmates when they looked at me with wide open eyes.  Pulled them out and radioed to have the door rolled behind them.  Informed the Sgt. I would be tossing their cell for contraband and requested a second officer.  Started out with the standard going through the drawer of shit, nothing, pulled the mattress back.....BAM....shiv right there, toothbrush filed to a extra sharp, pointy end.  Since the inmates were standing outside the cell I asked who was in bunk 2.  Inmate raised his hand and I spun him and cuffed him up.  While the second officer held him, I tossed the shit out of the cell.  EVERYTHING went on the floor, I'm not falling for the bait item and missing something else.  Nothing else was found and I ripped that place apart.  Inmate kept saying "not mine, not mine".  My response..."possession is 9/10ths of the law, your bunk, your shiv".  Long story short, sent to confinement, DR filed, DR court found guilty and 120 days confinement.

Lots of inmates still testing me as the "new guy".  Doesn't work out well for them.  I've been pretty busy watching who the "players" are.  We have Latin kings, Zo's, Bloods and BGD's and an unknown White group.  I've been able to nail down who is in charge of the Latin Kings.  Zo's are a shit show, no one is really "in charge".  Bloods and BGD's are splintered, everyone claiming who is boss.  The whites are even harder to nail down.  No one claims to be in charge or running anything.  But from what I have learned is watch the white guy with the most face tattoo's and see which black guy he is talking with frequently, that will tell you is running the whites.

My priority right now is just learning how to deal with inmates as a group and I am finding out that co-workers can be my biggest problem.

UPDATE #2
Now on my regular schedule. 1800-0600.  First time on night shift as a "trainee", left completely alone in a cottage dorm with 37 inmates with custody levels from 1 to 4.  I got a couple courtesy check ins from the Capt. and the Sgt. but other than that.....stay awake and do your paperwork.  Boring up until you find some contraband and your all alone.  I'm not one to look the other way and then call for back up.  So I acted on it right away and things got pretty tense.  You couldn't have slid a greased BB up my butt when it was going down.  But knowing how to talk (or at least pretending well enough) got things handled and the rest fell in line while one went to AC.  Once it was all said and done, had to go into my office and take a couple deep breaths and flush the shitter like I was actually doing something.  With the shit that has been going down in the Florida prison systems lately.....you don't know when shits going to go sideways.

UPDATE #3
Learned something new.  You dont want to dig into these guys files to see what they are down for.  Trust me, you really don't.  I haven't hit that point where I am callused and don't care.  My Sgt., 2 other officers and myself were in the "bubble" in confinement 2 nights ago and the Sgt. was going through the system looking up an inmate we were getting from the work camp that somehow got a hold of some K2 and during his "high" managed to kick an officer so once he cleared medical he was being brought to confinement.  I learned that you can look up everything about these inmates and see EXACTLY what they are down for.  Not just the legal "sexual assault", "grand theft auto" but the descriptions of the incident itself.  These are some sick, sick mother fuckers.  I literally couldn't believe what I was reading.  Then my Sgt. asked me...."who do you have questions about?"  So I rattled off a few that just gave me some bad vibes and when I got to see what they were down for, it changed the way almost immediately, how I dealt with them.

Case in point.  One of the inmates that we looked up did things that would be considered so horrific, not even going to bring it up here.  Without killing anyone, think worst case against kids.  Before knowing this I didn't treat him any different than any other inmate.  But knowing this in the back of my head now, when I woke him for his early morning meds and he asked to come out of his cell to make his coffee, my response was..."FUCK YOUR COFFEE, YOU CAN SIT IN YOUR CELL UNTIL I ROLL THE DOOR".  It just came out of my mouth, my mind reacted before I could control what I said.  Once I did the wake ups for a few others and they got similar responses, I realized that I was letting them affect the way I run my quad and I cant let that happen.

Every day is a learning experience.  Every day I pick up something new and I try to do more listening than talking.  Ive also learned that that misinformation with the inmates can be a good thing (BUT it can also bite you in the ass).  A lot of inmates ask about my dirty inky behind my left ear.  Its a pick and shovel (for those that dont know, I was a gold miner before coming to FL).  I just tell the inmates I used to be a grave digger.  It got some laughs out of them and helped lighted the mood sometimes.  But last week I was working a "cottage dorm" and about 0300 an inmate came walking out because he could sleep and walked up to my duty hut.  Here is how it went down...

Him: I remember where I've seen that tattoo before sir
Me:  Really, where was that?
Him: Are you Russian?
Me: Maybe
Him: I was at a club in Miami and a bunch of Russian gangsters were in there.  One had the same tattoo behind his left ear just like you and I asked him what it meant.  He told me that if he talked about it, bad things would happen.
Me:

(get away from my office, yes I used google translate for the Cyrillic spelling.  I speak a little but cant write it)
Him: Uhhhh what....
Me: Get away from my office
All you could see was fucking vapor trails back down the hallway to his rack.

Fast forward to 2 nights ago in the confinement area.  Banged everyone up for bed and only the housemen were out mopping while I was doing security check.  As I passed one of them he asked me if I was Russian.  I asked him if it mattered and he said "Well sir....that tattoo.......only certain people have that" (at this point I am fully convinced these idiots think its a hammer and sickle and word spreads fast inside the walls).  I jokingly told him to keep cleaning in Russian.  He didn't ask what I said but I shit you not, there was palpable fear coming off of him.

Last nights shift went smoother than it ever has for me in confinement.  During security checks the inmates that normally tried to shit talk me or whined at me when I told them to do something...it wasn't happening.  Even my Sgt. asked me what I said to the inmates because none of them would try to come to the bubble when I was working it asking for soap, toothpaste or shit paper.  They waited until another officer was there.  I just looked at him and said with a heavy Russian accent "everything's better with wodka".  He just laughed his ass off and said "you got these idiots thinking your Russian....well played....well played". (Funny thing is that I am of Russian decent and speak enough to get in trouble if i was in country, but have never used it until working here).

So the biggest thing learned.......DO NOT look up what these guys are down for.  It will change the way you do business.  I had to reset my brain after my reaction to a few of the inmates.  Misinformation can be good, but let them make it up in their heads.

UPDATE #4

Yeah, pretty much hate my life right now.  Since the last update I've been in the same cottage dorm.  37 inmates and me.  I've learned that when you work a holiday you dont get time and a half.  You get "special Comp time".  But here is the funny thing.  You can buld up special comp time throughout the year and it will eventually get paid out to you at some unknown time frame.  But if you have to call in sick for what ever reason, your "special comp" time is the first thing they burn, not your PTO or sick leave.  The shit that they might actually have to pay you for.  And apparently a few years ago, if you didnt use it you lost it.

Had to be involved in my first use of force a couple weeks ago.  And rather than "Thank you T.E.A. Bronze for saving that inmates life".  It was "why the fuck were you involved in a use of force?", My response...."Well Sir....after the CERTIFIED officer gassed them, they did not stop fighting each other.  And given the fact that one inmate was trying to chew the other inmates arm off, I chose to react rather than sit and watch".  Apparently this was the wrong answer and put me on the white shirt shit list.

FDOC is a fucking joke.  With all the shit I have dealt with from other staff members, pure lack of anything resembling common sense....I'll stick it out through the academy that is at some undetermined time to get my state certification and move to county.  FDOC wonders why they cant keep people.....they need to look at themselves.

UPDATE #5

Ok, my last update was full of hate and discontent.  After a little time of cooling off and figuring out who the good officers are and the ones to steer clear of, things got better.  Have been running the same dorm for a while now.  The inmates know what I expect from them when I walk through the door and they know I dont bring my outside life into the dorm.  I keep an easy peace, while picking my battles.

Started the academy 2 days ago and the first month is nothing but book work.  I am easily the oldest in my class by 10 to 15 years and a majority of the class could be my children.  This is going to be interesting.

UPDATE #6

6 weeks into a 12 week academy.  We've lost 4 out of 30. 2 to being pregnant and 1 to not being able to pass the first aid exam (taken yesterday and he retested today and didn't pass) and one just flat walked out of class.  We picked up an additional 4 from recycles. 3 of them female and over the age of 60 and obese.  They were injured during defensive tactics in their class for broken bones and we started defensive tactics today.  I wish them the best but lets be real......maybe not the job for them.  One of them has already been assaulted on her compound and got the shit kicked out of her.  Here is the rub....there are a lot of people that have the heart for the job but when everything goes south, they arent the people I can depend on to be there for me as they will more than likely have a heart attack on the way to wherever I am calling for help.  Even the instructors have stated that Florida is so focused on recruiting, they are paying attention to retention of good officers already out there.  And by doing this they end up recruiting people that have no business inside the fence.  There have been multiple arrests state wide of officers and one inspectors ranging from introducing contraband to assault of an inmate and lying on a report (the inspector).

Fitness is a god damn joke.  I am almost 46 years old and I am the 2nd fastest runner in the group.  1.5 miles and the only 2 people that can beat me are less than half my age.  90% of the class WALKS THE RUN....WTF ABSOLUTE FUCK????

First day of DT today and there is one that can keep up with me.  Most of them think its a joke and dont realize how much they need to pay attention to this shit.  I do have a leg up on them though so I cant say much.  I fought semi pro for 6.5 years in MMA, Muay Thai and pankration when I was in my 30's so I'm doing my best to help out.

Pretty much all of the officers that I would consider people I would want to work with are already saying they are bailing for county jobs as they will pay a $5K sign on and pay off the state for the school.  I don't know if I am broken inside, have a sick twisted side that I haven't found yet or have a bad case of Stockholm Syndrome, but I cant wait to get back on the compound.

UPDATE #7

Just finished defensive tactics.  Don't really know what to say about this other than since I already have experience, it was more of a 100 hour refresher course for me.  But the herd got thinned pretty good.  Lost 4 students to not being able to manage simple body mechanics due to being morbidly obese and IMHO way to old to be in this game.  And 2 more to not being able to pass the written DT exam.  It was also my 6th level 1 exposure to being gassed, still not a big fan of the stuff.  Got put in a somewhat leadership position as the one that leads PT and also directs other students in remediation when they cant wrap their head around how lower their center of gravity, pull someone close and put them in a shoulder lock.  Not that it will do anything for me because that and .25 will get me a piece of bubble gum at the store.

UPDATE #8

Wrapped up firearms today.  A lot of mixed emotions.  I will be getting the award for "Top Shot", out of a 48 max score you have to qualify twice and I managed a 47 and a 48 with pistol and a 36/36 low light (everyone shoots better in low light).  Shot gun is a bit of a craps shoot but I got a 69/72.  At the beginning of the course everyone was asked who had experience.  I raised my hand and told the instructor that when I was in the Marines I was a rifle and pistol instructor, USPSA and IDPA time.....his response...."you don't know shit." Here is where I got all in my feelings....I busted my ass during fire arms.  First one on the range to help set up, assisted others in trying to get them to a better score and I was always the last to leave the range.  The range is my happy place.  But today I had an epiphany.....no matter how hard I worked to make sure I scored high on everything, DT, Firearms, book exams....the low bar set by FDC will make sure that the people that have no business inside the wire....pass.  The last 2 days I have done pretty much nothing other than hang targets for people that couldn't get 58 (minimum score to pass) pellets in a man sized target from 15 yards.  8 rounds of 00 buck from 15 yards, think about that for a second and let it sink in.  That's when it kind of hit me.  I was mocked by other class mates for being a show off on my pistol score and when I would try to help others.  On the shot gun, during clearing malfunctions I asked the instructor if he could show me how to do a malfunction with a reverse feed and a double feed he stated "you think just because you have had some training you're some kind of SEAL".  My response to him was "no sir, I just hold myself to a very high standard when it comes to fire arms and want to push myself so I don't just meet the minimum standards."  He didn't like that response and brushed me off.  And then during practice he didn't like the way I was positioned during "firing from cover".  My idea of cover was standing BEHIND the cover and the last 20 years of shotgun courses I have taken had me standing a bit differently than everyone else.  So I was told to stand with the weapon and half my body NOT behind cover.  Ok, you win, I'll do what FDC wants.  One instructor, a former green beret and I got along very well, the others...not so much.  So when it came to AR15 time we got 10 rounds to shoot as some of the compounds don't have towers and those that don't have them, the officers don't get to qual with the AR (my compound is one that doesn't have towers).  This was a familiarization shoot.  I intentionally blew rounds all over the target, hit the carriage, put rounds on both sides of the head (not on target because when I did a head shot grouping with the pistol I got my ass chewed) and ripped rounds at the target.  The instructor started yelling at me saying "its not a god damn race! you're all over the target"!  When it went dry I did my safety check, handed him the rifle and said "sorry, I left my try hard pills at home today."

The long and short of it is that I realized that the person I might be doing a transport with and things go south may have been the person they had to spoon feed to qualify.  Putting me at risk because they cant even put a buckshot round on target in a zero stress environment.  The ONLY thing the academy is for is getting the worst of the worst over that very, very low bar of "minimum qualification" due to personnel shortages.  Statistically speaking, in 5 years of the now 26 people in my class only 5 will still be on compound, 5-7 will have been arrested for introducing contraband or fucking inmates and the rest will have quit due to low moral or higher paying jobs.

I'm the nutty one that wants to be on the compound, running inmates and doing my job.

UPDATE #9

Finally, graduation day.  Glad to be done with school and the 120 mile round trip 4 x's a week.  I was told at graduation that I am going back to my night shift spot.  Not very happy about that but what can you do.  Now I just have to wait a couple days to get registered for the FDLE exam and it will be regular life on the compound.

Edited.

Good synopsis!

I know some people really like corrections.  More power to them!  Glad there are some who do the job.

Good luck OP, start looking for another job before you go to school.

I'm guessing you are the constant supervision of your FTO?  I can't believe they would let you work alone with zero training, liability would be off the charts if a new guy with no training did something horrible or something horrible happened to him.

Glad to see this post. I'm sure in time you will settle in and things will be ok.

Your age and life experiences are already helping... and those fuckers will take notice.

ETA- old tanker here... M60A1 and M60A3  D Troop 10th CAV 1981-1982; 1st BN 70th Armor 1983-1984; 4th BN 69th Armor 1985-1986.

The inmates will test you at first, they have to realize you are not the one to fuck with.

my other advice is work hard, and do not let lazy people influence what you do.  Follow the go getters and don't look back at those trying to pull you down.

our Units are 128 to 1....you really have to show that this is your House Not theirs they just live there.  That said if an inmates has a question acknowledge him, even if it is I have a bunch of stuff i'm doing, come back in a half hour...but no not blow them off if they are being respectful to you.  They will respect you much more if you here them out even if the end answer is no(get very used to saying no).  But you are right absolutely never let an inmate disrespect you and get away with it....at least in GP Seg is sort of it's own animal

Learn to say no.
Never lie to an inmate, your credibility matters.
Don't play buddy games and joke around with them.
Don't get fired for your coworkers stupidity.
Don't be the guy holding the door open, run through it.
They aren't criminals because they broke the law, they
broke the law because they're criminals.

24 years and counting

Fascinating OP.  Good luck buddy.

No.  We did have some time where we would meet and talk about the rules, how to handle certain situations, reading a little bit, etc.  But for the most part I was only with 3 to 4 regular officers and  I would have to ask them questions.  the only time I was under direct FTO supervision was when we were doing pat downs on the inmates when they came out of chow.  After that we would talk about it and I would get sent back to my area.

I spoke with the other officers when I was in the max area and they said that now days new hires get more instruction upon arrival than they ever did.  All of them pretty much said that they were handed a set of keys and told "figure it out".

My FTO told me yesterday morning that as of next week the 4 of us will be on a regular shift schedule and on our own.  From what I can see, there is still a LOT to learn and I dont see why they would put us on our own but from what I hear, this is how they do it down here.

ETA:  I did notice that the FTO was spending quite a bit of time with 2 of the new hires.  I'm guessing that he stays around the ones that he thinks need the help.  Myself and one other guy have pretty much been left alone.

C Co 4th tnk btn.  M1A1's, I miss my hog.

This is all TRUTH!

Glad to hear it's working out for you. Be safe and keep your head on a swivel.

On the yard and in the "dorms".....hell no.

All the ones in "jail"  AKA Adseg, confinement, lock down.....they sit at their windows and chip at you as you walk by and talk all kinds of shit but you just ignore it.  I think of it like the static on a TV....background noise.

Eh, you still have ways of cutting that off  but it's all respect based.  Give legitimate answers do what you say you are going to and sometimes you have to explain something until the light clicks on in their head.  Occasionally you will get a couple idiots but if you regularly work SHU or Seg you find that they really don't even talk shit to you.

Also if you work Seg never ever let an inmate get under your skin on range.  Act like nothing that they do kicking doors, breaking sprinkler heads, boarding up even matters, essentially.....they want a reaction out of you, do not give it to them.

And never ever pass anything between inmates ever.

Welcome to DOC brother, 6 years and going strong on Rikers Island here. 90% of the time the hardest part of the job is dealing with your supervisors and coworkers, the other 10% is the inmates. They will test you and watch you, always stay alert and be yourself, don’t try to be someone your not they can smell it. There’s some days I wonder why the heck am I doing this for a living but most days are pretty good. Depending on what department your working for you can make a nice living and always get OT. I tell all the new recruits that there will be days you want to quit, give it at least 6 months and see if it works for you, good luck and be safe.

Update in OP

Sometime when OP is near a desk with a computer he should look for a file labeled "Policy."  Somewhere in there is gonna be a document labeled, "social media."  He should read it.

Already have done that.  The only social media I am concerned about is what I can be found at since I have a monster footprint.  As long as I dont mention specific names, places....no problem.

ETA: cant do pictures either

Stay safe and watch your six. Remember that some COs will fuck you just as fast as an inmate.

This isnt a lie.  Head on a swivel.... ALL THE TIME.

From what I can tell you will be passing the "sniff test" with your co-workers as much as you will the inmates and if you have ANY sense of your surroundings, you'll figure out real quick who those people are.  But most of all the co- workers will want to see what you are made of more than the inmates will.  I had my first run in today with another c/o.  Once it was done, he flat told me he wanted to see if I would stand up for myself.

"My priority right now is just learning how to deal with inmates as a group and I am finding out that co-workers can be my biggest problem".

Why would your co-workers be your biggest problem?

They dont know me or my background so they are keeping me at arms length and some of them are putting me in situations to see whats I am made of.  That and I am a "damn yankee" so of course I am a hillary supporter, have a pink pussy hat at home, etc, etc, etc.

That's pretty normal.  Once you start running to  fights and you jump right into it without thinking twice with your co-workers, get right into the stack to go in on a guy on an immediate that kind of stuff....you'll be good and fit right in.

I can.

Normal day in FL

Welcome to the party, pal.

Son I am disappoint.  Wheres the John McCain picture out the window?

Today was a real eye opener.  I learned how important it is to keep your head on a swivel and be ready for anything.

I learned this week.....

"what happens behind the walls, stays behind the walls".  No news crews, nothing in the paper, just a silence that is deafening.  Even when all hell breaks loose.

The policy book is considered "the book of suggestions" and "its ok, till its not ok".  Where I came from you live and die by policy....behind the wall.....not so much until you have a target on you back from brass.

I have never worked in an environment where employee moral is so low.  But when I had to go to HR today to pick up my first paycheck because 3 weeks isnt enough time to get my direct deposit set up and saw what my check was, even with a 12 hour worked holiday and "oh by the way, you only get 2 weeks of those 3 weeks because when you decide to leave thats when you will get that extra week back"....no wonder the suicide rate in correctional officers is twice as high as street cops.

Had a great day on my last day of what I will loosely refer to as "FTO".  Tossed a few cells, found a tattoo gun, another shiv, some tobacco (not surprising since officers can smoke on this compound), sent a couple inmates to the box, wrote some paper...made me feel better inside.

On my way out I got my orders to my shift.  FML.....going to nights and the Capt. of the crew I will be on happened to be in the lobby as I was leaving......

Capt:  "Bronze, cant wait to get you on the crew, we need the help"
Me:  (Jokingly) "Were you looking for good help sir"?
Capt:  "No....I just need heart beats".

I just smiled and laughed a bit, but inside I knew thats all he wanted.  Corrections is so short handed, they dont care about ability, skill, background, they just want heartbeats.  They will hire anyone as long as you dont have anything major in your background.  And even then I am pretty sure they will turn a blind eye to anything short of homicide. Shit, there are officers working that have ZERO FUCKING BUSINESS inside the walls.  Prosecution exhibit A...The 65yo female that can barely move under her own power without stroking out taking inmate to chow.

I'm still learning to navigate this mess called "corrections".  Stress levels through the roof, administration that will hang you for anything an inmate says, policy that isnt policy until something goes wrong.........what a mess.....

All this for $14.05/hr

Something inside me likes it though.  I cant put my finger on it.  The job is easy until something goes wrong but thats no different that my previous work.  I dont like screaming at inmates, I prefer the pull them off to the side and "counsel" them.  Most of my co-workers are ass hats, but I dont need them to do my job effectively and the benefits are the best in the state.  Found out tonight that my corrections ID gets me a 35% discount at one of the local restaurants we like to eat at.  That dropped tonights tab from $114 to $85, so there is a plus.

This whole thing is a weird oxymoron.

Hahahahahaha.....$16.50

Dude...

As soon as you complete the academy and pass the state exam, call the county and beg for a job in the jail.

My first day I was handed keys, radio, and told to read my post orders, and my name was "fuckin rookie".  He'll be fine.

Yep.

Sounds familiar.

Downside to doing this is that the state of Florida will come after you for $1500 it cost to  put you through the academy.

I hit 11 years in December. Fortunately for me, I've been on active duty orders for a little while now. I used to have fun in the jail. Once I promoted to sergeant, the headaches and stress far outweigh the rewards (and paycheck). Sounds like you're on the right track OP. I've spent many years working seg as both an officer and a supervisor. It's always been my favorite place to work. Your shifts in there could be completely quiet or complete chaos. I loved it. If you have any questions, let me know. I'd be happy to help.

Update #2 in OP.

It will be worth every single penny.

Update #3 for those that want to follow along.

Learned a real big DONT DO for anyone considering this line of work.

the one that got me was reading a full PSI for a guy down for 35 years for Manufacturing and distributing Child Porn involving his own Children i believe it was.

After that i only really read the PSI's on real hi profile type gangsters because they read like a movie.  I treat inmates like inmates, and their actions dictate my behavior.

This isnt a joke.  Some of the high profile people we have you could EASILY write a movie about.

AMEN! This all day long. No matter what DOC you work in this truth above will work for you. TDCJ-ID 35yrs and counting. Retired at 31yrs service, and am back double dipping.

Once you get time and experience in, you will find the inmates are not the problem.

Your administration will fk you in a heartbeat so watch your 6. Even when you have administrative regulations backing you, they will fk you, If you have a union get in it so they keep a little farther away from you.

Now you can sit around a table with your fellow CO's and talk about how a brain looks after one decided to fly from the 3rd tier and you will not skip a beat to chow down on your lunch. Or taking one to the ER, chaining him to the bed while he is projectile vomiting blood, close to death with whatever disease he has and all you think about is you didn't get enough fire sauce for your burrito thinking your life is not great at the moment.

I hear you on that one.  Just found out the other day that 4 of the inmates in my dorm are on TB meds.....no one bothered to bring that up when I took it over.  

I noticed that we havent had paper towels anywhere for the last 3 weeks or better.  Capt. came by to do a check and asked if I needed anything.  I told him I could really use some paper towels.  His response "woah....thats asking for to much around this place.  The compound has been out for a month and we wont see paper towels till first week of November".

WHAT.THE.FUCK?  Paper fucking towels......A brother cant even get paper towels.  It blows me away how cheap corrections is.

Doesn't surprise me, saw the same thing at work.