Topic: Everything Education / SORT Academy

Our department has a great SORT school. It was designed after the Colorado SORT school. I am not personally involved in it, I am involded in the Negotiations school, but here is the contact for ours bhansen@dcs.state.ne.us. He is our Emergency Coordinator for the Nebraska Department of Corrections. He can give you the contact names of our SORT leaders that actually put on the school. Good luck.

Topic: The Club House / Women working in Corrections

I have worked in corrections for 10 years now and still love it. I am the Safety Specialist at an all male facility, I started as an officer and have promoted up from there. You should listen to Magikcat38, she knows what she is talking about. Here is a little more advice. You need to learn to be a professional Bitch. In other words, you need to remember that you are an officer first a female second. Don’t cross the line. It does not mean that you are a bitch all of the time, but if you remain firm, fair and consistent, your going to be know as a bitch that they can’t or don’t want to cross. Here are some common sense guidelines that I live by when it comes to inmates. Treat them all the same. If an inmate waves at you don’t wave back, you are only asking for more attention. It’s a game to see how far they can get you to go and it starts with a wave. If you are whistled at, address it. Guys will tell you to ignore it, but don’t. They will continue until they get a response from you, good or bad. Never say “thank you”, giggle or laugh when whistled at. Be firm; let the inmate(s) know that it is not acceptable to whistle at you. If they call you names don’t let it hurt your feelings, it just means that you’re doing your job. Don’t discuss your looks with them it just opens you up for more of this type of behavior. For instance, an inmate told me I smelled good and I told him “it’s deodorant and that they sell it in the canteen if he wanted some”. He told me “that was fucked up”. I told him that my personal appearance was not up for discussion and he never said anything like that to me again. Never discuss your personal business with them. If they ask how your day, weekend etc. is going, just say “great”. If they ask you what you did, just say “nothing special”, it ends the conversation. I think you get my meaning about being a professional bitch. I say “hi” and “good morning”. I am polite. If I see an inmate not acting right or in distress, I ask him what is going on. I am not a problem solver, but I might be able to send him in the right direction. If they ask me if I can do them a favor, I tell them that I don’t do favors, but if I can help I will. The best way to make a name for yourself as someone not to mess with, but is a fair officer, is to know the rules and regulations. Follow the post orders, the policies and the procedures. If you are asked a question and don’t know an answer, tell them you don’t know, but will find out and then do so. Stand by your word. Don’t lie to them or tell them what they want to hear. Don’t discuss staff with inmates and don’t have private conversations around inmates. If an inmate is talking bad about a staff member you need to address it and let them know it is unacceptable to do so. Don’t play their games. Be known as the officer that will and does enforce all rules. If everyone would enforce the small “petty” rules, there would be less major problems in corrections. Be firm going in and then you can lighten up. Remember that a “no” can be changed to a “yes” without a problem, but a “yes” changed to a “no” causes all sorts of problems. As a female and fellow officer remember this one rule above all others, “INMATES ARE OFF LIMITES”. You can get involved with every staff member at your facility as long as they are not an inmate. Good luck with your career.