second day

[lsufan]

it was my second day working in the correctional center , and my FTO was training me in the mater control room today , and as i was cycling through cameras we noticed inmate sitting on table in the dayroom of the pod , so i had the pods TV privileges revoked for about 30 minutes , then in an act of defiance 4 of them sat on the table , so i revoked their TV privileges again , then one was seen walking around the dayroom with a sheet he fashioned into a "do rag" on his head , so they didnt have TV for the reat of the day............i feel i was justified in punishing the whole pod for the actions of the defiant ones..... right?

[Kebemt]

Sometimes that works, the other inmates will keep the others inline. If you do it too much though they can turn of the officers in the pod... just keep that in mind that what you do from the safety of control might cause the officer working the floor a problem

[lsufan]

tomorrow i will be shadowing my FTO in the pods it should be interesting

[Iowa #1603]

Originally Posted by lsufan

it was my second day working in the correctional center , and my FTO was training me in the mater control room today , and as i was cycling through cameras we noticed inmate sitting on table in the dayroom of the pod , so i had the pods TV privileges revoked for about 30 minutes , then in an act of defiance 4 of them sat on the table , so i revoked their TV privileges again , then one was seen walking around the dayroom with a sheet he fashioned into a "do rag" on his head , so they didnt have TV for the reat of the day............i feel i was justified in punishing the whole pod for the actions of the defiant ones..... right?

Hold on there hoss......................................:shotgun :
Your job, especially that of a brand new second day on the job noobie, is NOT, repeat NOT to "punish" anyone. Your job is to correct their behavior.

I read the above story as someone on a little bit of a power trip. ( knee jerk reaction to the wording) This is not really unusual for a brand new corrections employee, but you really have to learn that just because you have the power to do something-------one must be judicious in the use of that power.

I would assume that you asked for ,received, and took the advise of your FTO before you took any action . Doling out group punishment (or correction) is a touchy thing as KEBEMT stated----use that tactic sparingly until you have the experience to know when and if it might work.

In the scenario you gave above........the first time you noticed several inmates on the table and gave the TV a timeout....ok understand that.
THEN you saw 4 defiant inmates sit on the table ..............4 is a manageable number to have singled out and performed individual write-ups. When the actor decided to fashion a do rag----------------another individual write-up.
I fail to see why a group correction was decided on after a single individual got stupid and did a completely different act from the original defiance. do rag as opposed to sitting on a table . Speaking to or calling the unit staff could result in the identities of the offending inmates so they couuld be given write-ups.

lsufan -----------I don't want to burst your bubble so early in your career and I don't want to discourage you from being proactive in your approach to your job, but if you have read any of my previous postings....I am pretty blunt when it comes to giving out advise to new people. The words you use as well as the actions you take are yours----------you will have to live with them thru out your career so make sure you are comfortable with what you say and do-----------

Take care, learn from the older staff, and be careful out there

[JCoffin]

Iowa #1603 hit the nail right on the head.

[Tinkplink]

Yep,,,, Bingo.....