A moment of silence...
Two days ago we were forced to say goodbye to one of Marylands Correctional Officers. David McGuinn, 42. He had almost two years experience. Inmates were able to jam the locking mechanism to their cells, and fatally stabbed Ofc. McGuinn on tuesday evening.
Frank Sizer, Comissioner of Corrections, says
"We have lost another family member and our hearts are heavy, but we will not be deterred," Division of Correction Commissioner Frank C. Sizer Jr. said Wednesday at a news conference. "We will continue to confront acts of violence in our prisons."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MD_OFFICER_KILLED_MDOL-?SITE=MDSAL&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Is it just me, or shouldn't we be doing more than just confronting acts of violence in our prisons? In the past couple of years we have mostly dealt with inmates fighting/killing other inmates. But the rules of engagement are completely different when officers become targets. It's not like the Officer was responding to a fight, and got caught up, the inmates planned and executed this act with one result in mind. Last week 'plumbing problems' arose on one tier of one of our general population housing units. This plumbing problem was a distraction. Meanwhile in the tier next door an inmate was stabbed and beaten with a lock in a sock while manpower was focused elsewhere. Amazing. Not only are inmates coordinating on their own tiers, they are organizing on a much larger scale.
No longer are we dealing with old time criminals. These new inmates are straight out thugs. They don't act alone, because most of them are really just punks. They don't come at you straight on, they hide in groups because they are weak. On the street they would have shot you from afar, again because they are punks. used to be there was some 'honor among theives' but not anymore. These inmates are young, dumb, and reckless.
We need to adopt a proactive approach. Without one we will all be targets. Corrections has gotten so soft. Give Give Give. Don't dare TAKE AWAY. Somewhere along the line our institution became somewhat of a democracy. Inmates have total control of the activities through an informal, although all-determining voting process. High ups don't want any trouble, so give them some more. Let them have what they say they want. But it's like dealing with children. Give them what they need, they will make do. Give them what they want, and they want more, and more until there is no way to give any more. This causes more problems than the ones they meant to keep quiet. Things may have to get worse before they get any better with this group we have in charge (Mary Ann Saars, Frank Sizer etc) and the 'kinder gentler' approach they preach (read NOT WORKING).
Sizer stated after an inmate was strangles on one of our prison buses:
State prison officials fired three correctional officers
yesterday and two others were disciplined as a result to the Philip E. Parker Jr. murder
(strangling death) that occurred on a prison bus February 2nd. Frank Sizer stated:
"The disciplinary actions are meant to send a strong message. I think that what we're saying
is that when we have employees that work for us, we expect certain performances from them.
And when they don't comply or perform, there is a consequence."
yesterday and two others were disciplined as a result to the Philip E. Parker Jr. murder
(strangling death) that occurred on a prison bus February 2nd. Frank Sizer stated:
"The disciplinary actions are meant to send a strong message. I think that what we're saying
is that when we have employees that work for us, we expect certain performances from them.
And when they don't comply or perform, there is a consequence."
So Officers suffer consequences of inmates actions, but inmates often do not.... Interesting.
Just some food for thought. I still believe that my nstitution is one of the safest around. And that these things would be more difficult here, although I remember an inmate in the seg unit that used to open his door, and run around the tier when noone was watching....
I'll be watching my back.
posted by Z-Man @ 7:53 AM
8 Comments:
Just watch your back, bro. I don't want to have to come over there to whoop some dumb gang banger's ass if anything happend to you... I say throw the whole prison on lockdown, no showers, no play time, no fun, show them that the system is still boss, then whoop a couple just for good measure..... then whoop some more because I said so... whatever they have done is enough to have them locked up, they deserve whatever gets thrown at them.....
yet somehow they have taken the word 'punishment' and replaced it with 'rehabilitation'. Don't dare 'punish' these dangerous people, give them the tools to make themselves better.... What if they don't want to be better? Most don't. Most don't see that they are the problem, everyone else is. And I thought we were in a 'punitive' system...
I was always taught that our penal system has three porposes: Punish, Rehabilitate, and Protect. You are right, though, many don't want to be rehabilitated. After all, why get a job, busting ass when you can sell drugs and really clean up?
or just go to jail. no taxes. no responsibilities. recreation several times a day. No equipment to buy. Hang out ALL DAY with your buddies (read: gang affiliates). Child support stops with the proper paperwork. Your family can get money from the state just because you are incarcerated. No food to buy, unless you want to indulge in the commissary. No clothes to buy. Cell phones and drugs still make their way to you through dirty officers. You can slap around anyone you want. I hear you can even buy "favors" for seven stamps....You get to see your family FOUR DAYS out of the week now. you can get a free education, even college credits and certificates. You can be taught a trade. you can switch religions as often as it is convenient for you. Don't have the religion you are looking for? Make one up... Then they HAVe to let you worship it...
Maybe i've just had too long a night....
I think seeing your family four days each week isn't punishment enough. They should up it to six.
He He, My penal system has two purposes...
All kidding aside, that sounds more like club med....only you don't have to book time off from your job... You can just adapt and push your little debbies for contraband instead of pushing drugs for dow to pimp your ride with... I say put them to work to pay for the room and board, that's prison, working your ass off everyday and not seeing anything but the same four walls every night... put treadmills and excer-cycles in the day room that are hooked up to generate the prison's power, so the taxpayers won't have that burden (oh wait, even if you weren't locked up the taxpayers would have the burden of paying for your living expenses..... that's all for now.
Washington State Charges $5 a day "cost of living" (they don't call it rent... and $2 or $3 everytime inmates are treated for medical purposes. and even 40 cents a meal (i think) and at least recovers over amillion dollars a year, not to say the state isn't still paying for the inmates, but they are being held responsible for at least something...
Shook down the Annex (minimum compound) last night on the hottest day to date... bad idea... still locked down to pay respect to the fallen officer, however as a result they are putting us all more at risk for heat stroke or heat exhaustion....brilliant...
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