9781422280027

Several subcultures can be found in prison. One group is international drug smugglers who do not see themselves as “criminals.” Among this group are Cubans, Mexicans, Colombians, and Ja- maicans. Another subgroup is made up of members of organized crime, which includes the Mafia. A third group is the bikers, whichmay includeHell’sAngels, Pagans, Outlaws, Diablos, Satan’s Slaves, and other motorcycle clubs. Thousands of these bikers are imprisoned. Correctional Officers’ Difficult Job

Prison guards stand outside of the Dade County Men’s Correctional Facility.

A correctional officer’s job is not easy. Authors Ross and Richards, in their book Behind Bars: Surviving Prison , describe a typical cellblock: “In every cellblock (typically 500 prisoners) there are a couple dozen seething paranoids and violent sociopaths who’ve armed themselves with deadly weapons.” Gangs in prison keep guards on the constant lookout for violent outbreaks. Gang members coerce guards to smuggle drugs into prison for them: they have a friend on the outside take a picture of the guard’s family and home, then show the photo and threaten violence to his family if he doesn’t smuggle drugs to the gang. Correctional officers often work long hours and are poorly paid. The job is one of the less desirable in law enforcement, and the best way for a guard to make a respectable income is to put in long hours of overtime. Many guards are stressed out, burned out, and cynical; most of them just want to get through their day with no problems. Usually, the only time the public notices correctional officers is when there is a prison riot or an escape. A Misunderstood Profession Onewriter, TedConover, whomade it hismission to get inside the experience of a correctional officer, believes there are goodguards andbadguards, and that theprofession ismisunderstood andunderappreciated. Conover didnotwant to excuse abuse, but tohelp the publicunderstand it in the context of a brutal system, he became a correctional officer at Sing Sing prison. He didn’t tell his superiors or other guards about his project; they had no idea that he would be writing about his experience. While Conover worked at Sing Sing, the job transformed him. Every morning when he woke up, he wondered if he would be hurt that day. He couldn’t do the job and not jump in if a friend was in trouble. He began wanting to use brute strength against prisoners after seeing themattack other guards and disobey orders. He found prison to be full of frustration with very little outlet for the stress; the more he did the job, the more he wanted to use force: it felt like a release, a cleansing. He was torn between his duties as a correctional officer and as a person.

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the prison System

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