Next month (May 5-11)is National Corrections Officers Week. The motto of the Corrections Officer is "Silently We Serve". Any police officer in the United States has my respect for doing what they do to keep law and order in our great land. The police officer walks into many unknowns, and earns every ounce of glory and gratitude that he receives.
The Correctional Officer is much less known and honored. He/she too faces each day not knowing if it will be their last. Inmates have 24/7 365 thinking of ways to kill us. When you take a man's freedom, only those who do this job truly know what it does to them. Folks say "I can imagine". No you can't. You will never know unless you are walking when you hear the clang behind you, and you know that if an inmate kills you, he earns fame throughout the prison system in our state. He becomes a big man-the ultimate feather in the cap of an inmate is to take the life of a Correctional Officer. I ask each of you to take the time when you see one of us to simply say "Thank you for keeping us safe". This is a thankless job-we don't hear it nearly enough.
Poem submitted by Philadelphia Corrections Employee Latanya Long
Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind:
Just as the men and women in blue attend roll call before their tour of duty,so do we, but instead of being armed with pistols, we are armed with whistles.
Just as the men and women in blue, we too do not know
if we will greet our loved ones at the end of the day.
It takes a Correctional Officer to deal with society's undesireables, the overcrowding of prisons,the thanklessness of the public, and to efficiently carry out the duties of a job that so many criticize and so few want.
During our tour of duty, we are not only Correctional Officers we are also: police officers, firepersons, suicide watch,coroners, nurses, counselors,computer operators, mailpersons, newspaper delivery persons, the United States parcel service, and more...
And with all of this in mind at the beginning of our tour...
We will stand tall beneath our hats.
With pride we wear our shields.
And with unity, integrity, and professionalism,
Like soldiers we march side by side into our
unpredictable institutions both bona fide and qualified to handle any situation that may erupt.
So please, do not call us "prison guards". Acknowledge us as professionals, and address us as Correctional Officers.
This lady did a superb job of putting into words what the Correctional Officer feels. The ultimate insult to a C/O is to call us "guards". The occupation requires so much more than just being a "guard".
I would recommend any person whom is on here and looking for work to consider the occupation. The pay is good, the schedule is good, the benefits are really good, as is the insurance. The camraderie, the brothers and sisters that you have cannot be put into words. You learn to trust each other, rely on each other, support each other, care about each other/look out for each other (you have to in this line of work). If you do not possess the ability to think on your feet, the ability to handle change, or people skills, you need not apply.
Thanks friends
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