Corrections Community

First off let me say I am only 6 months into this career, second of all I am only 19 which makes me a target till they learn how I deal with these issues. Hopefully someone knows by more experience about how to deal with these issues. I know it happens everyday in a correctional facility but since I am still a rookie and so young it seems to happen to me more than others. Today, an I/M (who Ill call "C") was in a visitation boot due to being on lockdown status. He and another I/M were loudly talking through the seperation glass. I told "C" in a respectable tone to keep it down since there is a lawyer doing business next to him. "C" kept talking in a loud voice to the other I/M. I then ordered them to quite it down. "C" got up and said "I dont see a sign in here, ....etc."  all in an abusive voice. I said " welcome to jail, you need to show respect to us Officers and sitting across from him the Lawyer." I removed the I/M he was yelling with, took him back to his cell. "C" and I talked over this situation and eventually he cooled down.

My question is... Is there a better way to deal with an I/M trying to disobey orders and instead yelling abusive lanuage at you in front of other I/M's? Anyone with more experience in this area.. please help me as sometimes I feel I dont know how to gain control over situations like this, Im sure it will come with more expierence.

I appreciate any help.

 

TXVCSO,

It's not always about finding out one "true way" every inmate is different and every CO has a different style.  There are some standard things and one of them is to remove the i/m from the view of his/her peers.  Once out of sight of the others, they don't have to "show-off" and that allows them to actually stop and listen.  Sometimes when they yell, talk quieter.  It doesn't always work, but when it does the inmate will have to get quieter as well.  You have a good start, keep it up.

Good luck and welcome to Corrections!

While being young and inexperienced may make you a target for inmates it sounds like this situation may have occurred with any staff member.  I think a key issue here is that he had an audience.  Inmates are more likely to take advantage of a situation if they can “grandstand” in front of their peers.  This gives them an opportunity to increase their credibility with the inmate population and it also may intimidate some staff members (which is exactly what he was trying to do to you).  I recommend the following:

 

• Most importantly never allow yourself to be drawn into an argument with an inmate.  That’s just what the inmate wants because it gives them the upper hand. 
• Always control your voice level and don’t fall into the trap of debating the rules.  The inmate population knows the rules as good as or better than you do and they know just how far they can push a situation. 
• Make sure you know what your options are.  Can you cancel their visit? What does your facility rules say?
• Tell them exactly what the problem is and what their options are.  Maintain your professionalism regardless of what the inmate says.  Keep in mind you are being watched by the visitors, by the inmates, by your peers and probably by the camara.  How you act is critical. 
• Give the inmate a choice so they have to make the decision.  “Mr. C – you either need to maintain a low tone when you visit or I’m afraid that I’ll be forced to terminate your visit.  Neither of us wants that to happen so you need to decide what you want to do.  You also need to realize that if I’m forced to terminate your visit I’ll also be forced to write a violation which may mean additional sanctions.   Would you rather continue your visit or would you prefer to return to your cell?”
• If you are forced to terminate the visit then you need to remove the visitor first and then you need to isolate the inmate so he doesn’t have an audience.  Make sure that you have another staff member with you or at least nearby just in case and make sure that you follow agency policy when removing the inmate.

Lastly, our agency has adopted Verbal Judo and has had great success with this communication technique.  If this training program is available I recommend that you attend.  Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.

 

Ed Yahnig

Training Academy

Missouri DOC

ed.yahnig@doc.mo.gov

 

 

You control is a 3 part phase

1 control your self (this means your emotions & actions)

2 control the enviroment (folks have to "represent" when there people are around) isolate the situation

only after controling 1 & 2 can you even have a chance at controling another person.

First of all, let me say welcome abroad. You will do fine as time goes by. Concerning Inmates that have behaviour problems. Keep your head, when they are losing their's. Raising your voice will only escalate the situation. I treat the inmates the way I want to be treated, with respect and dignity. Sad to say, it may take time for you to earn an inmates respect. Don't lose hope! NIC has some wonderful classes you may want to look at and incorporate into your daily job. Also, ACA has some wonderful material you might want to consider.

www.aca.org

Best wishes in your career in Corrections

You have gotten alot of good advice here, my suggestion is to continue like you are doing, first you handle any given situation to the best of your ability, use common sense, do what you think is right, then once you get the situation controlled, ask others (Supervisor, senior officer etc) questions on how you handled it. Unfortunately most of us learn our own techniques by doing and through experience, you get this by listening to the advice of others. I have always found that I try to do the right thing and to treat everyone like an adult. Good luck in your career.

Mr. Yahnig,

Good day to you,Sir. I was reading about your Verbal Judo. Could you tell me more about and how it has worked in your locale.Thank you.

Verbal Judo is a copy written training program which was contracted by my agency through the Verbal Judo Institute http://www.verbaljudo.com/.  This program is basically a in-depth communication program that is designed especially for criminal justice agencies.  The 16 hour basic course encourages staff to strive to seek a peaceful and positive resolution to verbal confrontation before it escalates into a physical encounter using empathy, professional integrity, and mediation. Guidelines for developing skills in tactical and professional communication are set while putting responsibility for behavior in its proper perspective.

 

All of our Verbal Judo instructors are certified by the company and we deliver it to all of our agency staff.  It seems to be very effective and we have received exceptional feedback from our staff.

 

Ed Yahnig 

 

I like to look at these situations on a more common sense level.

When an offender is challenging an officer, there is a general response to this behavior.

1.  Verbal instructions to seek compliance.

2.  If verbal instruction does not work (and this depends on your departmental or unit standards): 

    -  Contact a supervisor

    -  Attempt physical compliance techniques

    -  Gas

THIS IS IMPORTANT . . . Concerning an attempt at physical compliance . . . if you cannot perform this on your own (due to size, abitlity, training), get help from other staff.  If possible, always make sure you have the advantage.

As pointed out by other posters, the situation will also dictate what steps to take.  For example, I wouldn't gas the visitation room with lawyers and family members present.  I would use all attempts at Non-Violent Crisis Intervention here prior to proceeding towards physical force.

TXVCSO,

The one comment you made "I am only 19 which makes me a target" is what prompted me to respond.  Think that way and you'll be a target. It's not about you, nor your age, completely.  Work to display competence, confidence, and professionalism in your manner and speech.  Your presence goes farther than you can imagine, and speaks before you ever say a word.  Give respect, but expect compliance.  As was mentioned, the I/M's know the rules, but will push and prod to see where you stand and how you respond.  I'd highly recomend you find the book "Games Criminals Play" and read it to protect yourself and peers.  Look around at the peers you work with.  One of them is excellent at what they do, emulate what you see, ask them to mentor you, request feedback.

Good Luck and Be Safe,

Lyndon Olmeda

 

 

My best suggestion for the short time here is read the book "Verbal Judo" by George Thompson.  He also has a great website and because f his popularity has online training and certification.  Besides common sense, experience and the great advice everyone else has offered I have allowed other staff t read this and they have all reprted the benefits to me.

Good luck

Cpl. Steve Wakefoose

When confronted with this situation do not even the playing field by increasing your volume, remove the individual and address the situation away from an audience. Simply let them know first off that his or her current behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated especially after already addressing the issue once, state the facts say to the inmate that you did nothing to disrespect him and you would expect and appreciate the same courtesy in return, often times pointing out the facts in a manner in which the inmate can relate to what you are saying without feeling as though you are overstepping your authority, the objective is communication and compliance not an escalation of emotional energy. Inmates relate to the issue of respect and do not like being disrespected so changing your delivery so that what you are saying is more likely to be heard. Nothing works 100% of the time due to all the variables involved but keep in mind a few things we are always on the winning team and work smarter not harder. One more thing before I let you go at nineteen some of the individuals you are dealing with have been in the system longer than you have been alive , you are lacking a valuable tool that being life experience also RESPECT is something that is earned not given, the way you carry yourself everyday will earn you that respect. Always be firm , fair  and consistant in your approach and you will be on your way to a successfull carreer.

                                                                      Sgt. Andrew Alaimo

                                                                      Bristol County Sheriff's

                                                                       Training Division

Hello there, first of all I would like to commend you for seeking wisdom from seasoned correctional officers. I believe you have received a great deal of wisdom since your posting. I have been in corrections for almost 24 years and I still have inmates from time to time become vebally abusive. What I found to work for me is:

1. Remain calm - don't get drawn into the situtation.

2. Take control right away - just like you did -- do not let it escalate.

3. ALWAYS BE "FAIR", "FIRM" AND "CONSISTENT" to all inmates - never show any favoritism!!

I hope the best for you in your new career. Nobody really knows what we Correctional Officers goes through. 

Good Luck and May the Lord Bless You!

 Cpl. James Aguiar, Jr.

Marion Co Sheriff's Office

Ocala, Florida

In the Jail I work in there seems to be a need for more extensive training for civilian detention officers. The Deputies have gone to the Academy and some have military training. Some of the civilian officers are so young and don't exude much confidence. My understanding is that they get 7 hours of self defense training. 2 hours of that are spent on pepper spray. There was a recent incident in Adseg (2 inmates)where an officer got distracted by one inmate and then sucker punched by another. It knocked him cold. He was one of the larger, more physically capable officers & it can still happen even to them. A code was called & others responded. My concern is that after much discussion about it there seemed to be an opinion by some commissioned officers that there were those civ officers who they feared would freeze in a situation & not know what to do. He has lobbied for more training hours but was denied. Being a civilian employee myself, and not an officer, this makes me feel less secure at work. I feel my safety at work is directly tied to who I'm working with. It may come down to dollars ans cents, I'm not sure. I'm wondering if there are grants a facility could obtain to further training for civilian officers.

Hi there J-, First, I'm unfamilliar with the term "civillian officer". I'm not usre if you are a support person in the jail i.e. chaplain , maintenance etc? Second, most DT programs offered through agencies are designed more to minimize the Administrations liability rahter than the enduser's safety. Having said that how important is the investment in your safety. I know many people that take up training outside of what their department provides. the question is to make sure its the right training, that it is realisitc and addresses all the issues involved in confrontation from blueprinting pre-contact cues, defusing with choice speech or tactical verbalization (verbal judo), and realistic useable tactics that are effective and pressure tested with realisitc scenarios. There are many "control systems" that are great. My personal preference from research and personal experience is PPCT management systems. They are the only control system that is medicaly, legaly, and tacticaly proven. However there is only one "out of control system" and that is Tonly Blauer's S.P.E.A.R. system. I can not do justice to the system of self defense in this short forum but rather the proffis in the pudding and suggest you research the S.P.E.A.R. sytem at www.tonyblauer.com and see why it is chosen by high speed operators and LEO departments world wide. In fact the national UK police training authority has adopted the system for all its officers. they also have a civillian program that is just as good and addresses the needs of the non-leo. check it out and good luck. Feel free to contact me further with any questions Sgt. Steve Wakefoose 484-955-9879 or swakefoo@montcopa.org

FIRST OFF YOU BEING THE AGE YOU ARE YOU HAVE A CHALLENGE. IF YOU CARRY YOURSELF IN A COCKY MANNER YOU ARE ASKING FOR TROUBLE. YOU DISRESPECTED THE OFFENDER AND TREATED HIM AS A CHILD. SOMETIMES JUST A MOTION OF THE HAND IS ALL THAT IS NEEDED TO QUIETEN SOMEONE. YOUR INSULT WAS WQELCOME TO JAIL. WOULD ONLY COME OUT OF A SMART MOUTH ASKING FOR TROUBLE. SHOW RESPECT FIRST THEN YOU WILL EARN IT.