Doing Time Eight Hours a Day: Memoirs of a Correctional Officer - Softcover

Palmer, James R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1491711973 ISBN 13: 9781491711972

Publisher: iUniverse, 2013

Synopsis

Correctional officers face danger every time they go to work, and the public rarely appreciates the job that they do. Author James R. Palmer worked many years at the Kentucky Department of Corrections, spending seven of them with the solitary confinement unit. In this memoir, he looks back at his career and shares what it's really like working in prison. For example, inmates aren't afraid to use sharp objects to hurt officers, who-just like the inmates-often find themselves behind locked doors. Correctional officers also face constant exposure to diseases and infections, as well as constant stress that can upset family life and make sleep nearly impossible. While some people might say, "If it's that bad, then quit" correctional officers stay on the job for a variety of reasons, including a desire to serve and protect the public. Doing Time Eight Hours a Day shares one man's firsthand experiences of what it's like to be a correctional officer and rub elbows with some of the most dangerous men and women alive.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

DOING TIME EIGHT HOURS A DAY

Memoirs of a Correctional Officer

By JAMES R. PALMER

iUniverse LLC

Copyright © 2013 James R. Palmer
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4917-1197-2

Contents

Glossary, ix, 
Common Signals and Codes, xi, 
Disclaimer, xiii, 
Introduction, xv, 
Chapter 1 First Impression, 1, 
Chapter 2 First Day in Prison, 3, 
Chapter 3 Learning the Basics, 7, 
Chapter 4 Welcome to a Different World, 12, 
Chapter 5 Officers—Good and Bad, 14, 
Chapter 6 The Convicted, 23, 
Chapter 7 Who Do You Trust?, 29, 
Chapter 8 Programs Available to Inmates, 32, 
Chapter 9 Staff Assistance, 37, 
Chapter 10 Inmate Living Areas, 41, 
Chapter 11 The Yard—Is It an Escape or Reminder?, 48, 
Chapter 12 Illegal Activities, 51, 
Chapter 13 Visits and Visitation—Family Day, 59, 
Chapter 14 Justice in Prison, 63, 
Chapter 15 Local Supermarket, 65, 
Chapter 16 Prison in a Prison, 67, 
Chapter 17 Cell Entries for Stubborn Convicts, 74, 
Chapter 18 Assaults on Staff and Inmates, 77, 
Chapter 19 Strange (Bed) Fellows, 80, 
Chapter 20 Moneymakers, 82, 
Chapter 21 Time Winds Down, 84, 
Epilogue Quitting Time, 87, 

CHAPTER 1

First Impression

Box One is the first contact anyone has with the prison.

Be it staff, inmate, visitor, vendor, or police, they all must stopand check in at this post. Each visitor is asked if he or she has anydrugs, alcohol, or weapons. Police and law enforcement officialssecure their weapons here. Private citizens and visitors, even withconcealed carry permits, are not permitted to bring guns on thepremises. There are many signs posted prohibiting these and otheritems, and saying that all vehicles are subject to search.

If any contraband is found, the person carrying it is deniedaccess to the grounds for that day. Occasionally, random searchesare conducted by the prison SRT team. If and when any contrabanditems are found, the local police or state police are called and thecarriers are subsequently arrested. Their visitation rights are eithersuspended or completely denied for up to a year. Even then, theperson must apply to the warden for permission to visit.

Even when police come in to drop off or pick up prisoners, theirvehicles are searched, because of all the weapons they carry: rifles,pistols, ammo, and tear gas or pepper sprays. All weapons must allbe checked in and secured at this post.

As the many visitors arrive, they are asked if they have any ofthe above-mentioned prohibited items. Their response is usuallythe same: no. Some are spot-checked just to be sure. The volume oftraffic on weekends and holidays is high, and a lot of cars come inbringing visitors.

In addition to checking all vehicles, prison guards check allvisitors visually to make sure they conform to the dress code, whichthey all received a copy of at some time during their loved one's firstweek of incarceration. This is just a visual check, as they will be morethoroughly checked by the front desk officer.

After all, it is a men's prison. No tank tops, no bare midriffs,no showing of cleavage, no short shorts, and no short skirts. Shortsand skirts cannot be higher than six inches above the knee, and ifit's close, it's measured. If it does not comply, the visitor is deniedaccess until he or she complies. Many who are denied access use thelocal big box store to buy clothes that comply.

All commercial trucks are given the same checks when entering.However, upon departure, they are scrutinized more closely becauseinmates unload the vehicles and the potential for escape is greater,even though the trucks are checked at least two times before theyget to the front gate.

CHAPTER 2

First Day in Prison

My Old Kentucky home, where the sun shines bright, as the song goes,except for today.

It was a typical cold, rainy spring day in Kentucky. Thetemperature was in the low 40s, a slight fog hung in the air like ahorror movie in a cemetery, except it was daytime. The drizzle wassteady. All in all, it was a miserable day to be outside, one that youwould rather spend indoors keeping warm. But not here.

This was to be a very different day for me and the three others whohad just been hired. We were on the way to becoming correctionalofficers, or prison guards, as we are sometimes called. And those areamong the good terms we heard from the inmates.

But for now, we were on our way to pick up our uniformsand equipment. The uniforms includes hats, belts, jackets, andraincoats—if they had your size. We were also given a couple ofblue jumpsuits. Some were new, most used, and all faded blue.(Hmm ... the big blue line). And in spite of the manufacturer's tag,one size fits nobody. We all looked and felt like we belonged on atrash pickup crew or a garbage truck. We were also issued belts tohang our equipment on: radio pouches, first aid kit carrier, a pouchfor rubber/latex gloves, and a mouth piece for CPR in the event wehad to use it.

Leaving the warehouse, our arms full of our new gear, weproceeded to a car used to transport prisoners. Stowing our gear inthe trunk, the four of us got in the car. This was our first (unlesssomeone had been previously arrested or detained) experience witha car with doors that only opened from the outside, and a screenor partition separating the front and back seats. This was for theprotection of the officers when transporting prisoners. Oh what joy,with the four of us in cramped in the confines of that smelly car!

I guess I knew what was coming next so I hustled to the passengerside of the car and got the front seat—shotgun, as it's called. I didn'twant to be enclosed like sardines with the three of them, especiallysince one was rather rotund.

The first thing we noticed was it sure didn't smell like our cars.It reeked of the many prisoners who had been transported overthe years. In the confines of a prison not everyone practices dailyhygiene, so body odor can become a problem. Stale cigarette smoke,before the state banned smoking in state vehicles, body odors, funkand farts, stinky feet, all in an enclosed area. It was a smell we wouldall become to familiar with in the dorms.

Our trainer explained we were going to take a tour of the outsideof the facility. We called him Lieutenant "I'm so cool I know itall," AKA Herman the German, and we would be reminded whywe chose those nicknames on more than one occasion, even aftertraining was over. He never let anyone forget it, either.

As we drove around the perimeter of the prison, the onlyconstant beside the cold drizzly rain was the high chain-link fencewith rows of razor wire attached to it on top and along the bottom.The razor wire is exactly that—razor sharp! Any one or any thinggetting caught in it would be sliced and diced severely, like a Vego-Matichad gotten ahold of it. And the more you struggled, theworse it got. Severe slicing and entanglement—it could be real nasty.Occasionally a skunk or a raccoon would get caught in it. Nothingto do but wait and then have maintenance remove the carcass verycarefully!

The DOC wanted to keep people either in or out but I don'tknow of anyone ever trying to break into prison. A lot of the convictsdidn't want to be here, but some did; they got free medical carebecause they had no one on the outside to take care of them.

There were occasional signs that stated: CAUTION. STAYAWAY / OFF THE FENCE. DEADLY FORCE IN USE!

Very bold and intimidating if you're seeing it for the first time.

As we drove, the L.T. explained things to us, things we wouldlater learn in more detail, about the yards, dorms, rehab programs,and recreation field. I was thinking to myself it was such a nasty daynobody would be outside. But I was wrong.

At the far end of the recreation field, I noticed many prisoners,or inmates, lifting weights and doing push-ups, generally workingout in pairs, one lifting and one acting as a spotter.

I asked, "Isn't it too cold for them to do that?"

The L.T. snickered and said in his "I know it all voice," "It's nevertoo cold for these guys. They are out here every day, rain or shine,cold, hot, windy, you name it. It's what they have to do all day everyday. These are the serious guys who are the muscle of the yard. Mostof them run everything that happens on the yard, the gambling,the betting, the "hits" (beat downs) drug running, (yes there are alot of drugs in prison most brought in by staff), the scams, and justgeneral mayhem."

My thoughts were that I was in decent shape, having servedtwenty-plus years in the military, but a few pounds heavier and afew steps slower, things that later would make it evident that I wasindeed getting older and slower. Father Time kickin' my ass!

One of the comments from someone in our group was, "Oh shit,I guess it's true what we see on TV."

The lieutenant just laughed.

Driving around the perimeter, he told us, "Don't drive on thegrass; watch the holes in the road; never drive the same pattern,because the inmates are always watching to learn our patterns andhabits; look for holes in the fence, and check (shake) the fence indifferent random areas when doing fence checks. Just remember theyare always watching you and tracking your every move, looking foryour vulnerable spots."

The tour of the outside road complete, we then were shown theweapons we would be using on several of the different posts, such asperimeter post (driving around the prison in a state car), observationtowers, Box One (entry and exiting the prison property), dormcontrol officer, dorm floor officer, and the various other programposts.

And the ever present and important post orders.

Post orders are the documents you are supposed to read whenassuming a post. Each one is different for each specific post, and wewould be required to learn them all in detail. They included whatyou should do in case of emergency, what to look for in differentareas, and what you were required to do on that post. They had tobe signed by each officer on each shift every day. After a while noone read them, they just signed them.

Now we began our "work" days in the prison, until the academystarted in three days, walking around out here with our trainer/escort, observing, visiting all areas, always watching, observing,and asking questions. Learning the difference between inmates andconvicts was another part of our indoctrination.

Inmates are the older guys who have been around for years. Theyknow they are there for a certain period of time, their hell-raisingtime is done, and now they just want to do their time, be left alone,and try not to get caught up in the yard bullshit; i.e., gambling,making book, trading food for whatever. Convicts are the youngerones, the ones with a chip on their shoulders. They don't care, theydon't want a job, and they are usually gang bangers with the saggybritches, an attitude, and the feeling that the whole world owes themsomething, everything. They can't be told what to do or be given anydirection. They are pissed off at the world, pissed off at being here,and acting like we put them there. They are the first to say, "I'm notguilty. I didn't do it. They all lied on me."

There is a difference between the ones in prison and the ones injail. In jail, your sentence is 365 days or less. In prison, your sentenceis 366 days or longer. Months, years, decades ... life. Or as theinmates called it ... forever.

CHAPTER 3

Learning the Basics

Our new careers were now beginning to take some shape. All newhires for all the prisons are required to attend the academy. Here,we would learn daily activities such as post orders, daily logs, reportwriting, how to do cell searches, strip searches (not just get naked),procedures that would or could save our lives, powers of observation,and CPR in case we needed to use it on staff or inmates (Yes, I did),on an inmate.

Post Orders

These cannot be gone to in detail, as they are sensitive in nature.These are the orders that explain things for each post, things youmust do—procedures to follow, who to notify in case of emergency,time schedules for opening and closing the dorms, and when to openand lock the outside gates that surround each dorm.

They are brief and to the point. Post orders must be signed anddated every day on each shift, by each officer.

Daily Logs

These are the logs kept on each post of who worked that post onany given day, who relieved whom for breaks, and what happenedduring that shift. Hopefully it was a quiet day and nothing happened.All staff and inmates who enter the dorms had to be documentedwith the time they entered and left.

This information could be useful later if someone accused aninmate of being in a restricted area (not his dorm) or if someoneneeded to prove where he was at a particular time.

All cell searches had to be recorded. We had to remember thatall the paperwork we did was legal documentation and subject to besubpoenaed for any court proceedings.

Logs had to be complete and accurate.

Cell Searches

Glove up.

Wear rubber gloves. This was for our protection. Take nothinghome to your family!

Cell searches were done on a random basis and logged in thedaily log so as not to pick on any particular inmate. They were alsodone if you suspected something illegal in the cell. We were taughtto be systematic in doing these searches. First, the inmates had tobe present, either one or both. Second, we were taught to pick astart point, third, be thorough and consistent in going around thecell, fourth, start in one corner and work your way up and downand go around. Check on, in, and under things. Dump out boxesof soap powder and cereal (great places to hide things because fewofficers look), into bowls or other containers, but be neat and tryto keep things as sterile as possible—respect went both ways. Orhave the inmate dump it out as you watch. Put it in bowls or othercontainers. Check in between pages of books, in the bindings ofbooks—nice spot for razor blades and tobacco. Inmates' hidingplaces were ingenious. After all, they had twenty-four hours a day tothink about these things. We had eight hours, minus lunch of thirtyminutes, to find things. Quite lopsided!

When checking under ledges, we didn't just run our handsalong the edges. Those were a favorite hiding place for the inmates toput razor blades, and running our hands across them led to seriouscuts with a dirty, used razor blade that was probably contaminated.We felt, touched, patted or used a mirror to help us. I carried twomirrors with me, a dental size for small, tight places and a two bythree inch for general areas, such as under the rims of toilets, behindpipes, under garbage can lids, under door frames, and other hardto reach places.

Strip Searches

We were taught to use discretion when performing these. Beforedoing a strip search, you had to have great suspicion of someonehiding something on or in their person to do this, and then asupervisor had to be notified as to whom, what you were lookingfor, and what your suspicions were. And always keep your eyes on theperson in question. Some of the prisoners were outstandingly quickat sleight of hand. Practice, practice, practice. The only exceptionto this rule is visits. We were required to strip search all inmateson their way back to the dorm after a visit, and to keep a log of allsearches.

CPR—Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.

We all had to learn this in case we needed to perform CPR onanother staff member or an inmate. This was also good to know incase you needed it at an accident scene or for a family or friend athome.

We were all issued a CPR mask in the event we needed toperform the rescue procedure. After all, it is mouth to mouth.

Disciplinary reports

Also known as write-ups, these were done when an inmateviolated the rules. Generally reserved for the more serious ruleinfractions, they could also be used for such trivial things as littering(throwing a match on the ground), spitting on the sidewalk (itspreads disease), and not making your bed. But it was a good toolsince the inmates hated getting them because they could cause ablack mark on an inmate's record if or when they went before theparole board. They could affect his dorm assignment, or getting abetter job. If serious enough, the write-up could also cause loss ofgood time (time earned toward reducing their sentences) or put themin segregation.

When writing these reports, we were taught to keep it simple,following the five w's and an h—who, what, when, where, why, andhow. Follow that format and life would be good.

If you didn't, you'd have to rewrite it. We were also taught thatafter you write your report, have someone else read it before youturn it in. See if it makes sense and contains all the elements needed.These write-ups were then heard by a hearing officer, a supervisor,lieutenant or higher. The inmate was afforded all his constitutionalrights and was even given a legal advisor, another inmate, whose jobit was to provide legal counsel and assistance to him.

The write ups then became part of his permanent record unlessdismissed.

Radio Operation

We were also taught simple radio operation. Some peoplehad never used one so it was basic operations so we would all beable to use codes that could be and would be used in life savingsituations—ours and theirs—to ask for breaks, advise supervisors oflocations and situations, and call for assistance when needed. Basiccommunication.

After all, we were there to serve the public, protect the inmatesfrom themselves and others, and watch over them as they did theirtime, not to mete out punishment, as this had already done by ajury of their peers.

Our academy class consisted of about thirty-eight officers, maleand female. We came from all institutions across the state for ourbasic academy of six weeks training. (It was later changed to eightweeks). Some were new to corrections, some had previous experience,and some were returning after trying different job choices. Aftergraduation, we would all return to our specific institutions to beginour OJT status for a period of six weeks, with two weeks on eachshift—7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; 3:30-11:30 p.m.; 11:30 p.m.-7:30 a.m.After this six-week period, we took an OJT test and if we passed, wewere officially officers out on our own, assigned to different shiftsand posts to fend for ourselves with the help of our partners.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from DOING TIME EIGHT HOURS A DAY by JAMES R. PALMER. Copyright © 2013 James R. Palmer. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Edition details

• Publisher: iUniverse
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1491711973
• ISBN 13: 9781491711972
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 106