Correctional Officer

Correctional Officer

Bob Walsh

Stockton, CA

Male, 60

I worked for the California state system, starting as a Correctional Officer and retiring as a Lieutenant in 2005. I now write for the PacoVilla blog which is concerned with what could broadly be called The Correctional System.

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Last Answer on February 10, 2022

Best Rated

Hey homie bro why are so many COs on their high horses and think their better then the prisoners yo? Cuz that don’t make no sense bro we pepppe too bro

Asked by Ramon almost 6 years ago

Might be because we are smart enough or "good enough" to not be convicted felons and, at the end of the day, we get to go home to our families while the prisoners don't. That doesn't mean that prisoners aren't people. It does mean that they are criminals and we are not.

Do you ever watch Officer 401 on YouTube

Asked by Hot dog eater over 5 years ago

Nope. Never. Never even heard of it until now.

Do inmates celebrate Christmas?

Asked by Andy about 6 years ago

The Christian ones do. The Muslims and Jews, not so much. Pagans celebrate the Winter Solstice which happens near Christmas, but not right on Christmas.

How do you make prison chips?

Asked by Miya over 5 years ago

since i have no idea what that is, i have no idea. (sounds like the beginning line of a joke in all honesty)

Do weighted vests really work to help calm someone down? I seen it before on inmates. How effective are they?

Asked by Marty over 5 years ago

I have heard they are effective, but I have never used one nor even seen one used. Can't help you much. Sorry.

How do you contain prisoners at times when they might get out of hand. Say a fight you have people fighting and then you have opportunists who might try to d something while the guards are distracted. How do you manage mayhem?

Asked by Sammy over 5 years ago

Physical containment is actually fairly effective. You only have so many people in a given area and eventually you will be able to find out who they are. If bodies start dropping you know who was there, or at least who could have been there. Poured in place cement walls, detention quality doors and very good fences do that job fairly well. If push comes to shove we thump on people, use chemical agents or them, or shoot them to make them stop. Eventually they stop.

Did you have to go through the police academy and do you have to be a post certified peace officer?

Asked by Haylee almost 6 years ago

In CA there is a C-POST for correctional officers. The academy runs about 14 weeks right now. Many street cops have an academy that runs six months. Correctional Officers don't need to know a lot of what street cops need, like search and seizure. You have to pass the academy to be sworn in to legally do the job. Correctional Officers fall under a different section of the penal code than do street cops and our police authority exists only within the course of our employment. Typically this is persons and property under the jurisdiction of the department, though there are exceptions to this, such as escape pursuits.