I Was There

 

This blog (my second) is dedicated to the men and women who serve in the penal facilities. Some cursory searching has revealed that there is a definite need for what I am aiming for: an accurate portrayal of what it is like working in a jail setting and advocating for the people who do it.

Although my experience was in the county jail system (three jails in two states spanning over 17 years) the dynamic at the county, state, and federal level is similar in many facets and the objective is the same: care, custody, and control of inmates (discussing/debating this sacred trinity of detention will be covered in another post.

Part of my advocating for the men and women who work on the "good side" of the bars, is pointing out the ignorance behind the trend of portraying inmates as poor victims of circumstances. They are not all "dirtbags", nor are they all poor unfortunate souls; the reality is that the vast majority fall somewhere in between these extremes. The other side of that coin portrays detention staff as a bunch of "knuckle draggers" just looking for an opportunity to give someone a beat down. Like most negative stereotypes, it is driven by media portrayals or amateur videos that only tell part of the story. Ignorance is also an integral component of these stereotypes. It's a profession that is somewhat mysterious by nature. It exists hidden behind locked doors in places that relatively few people ever enter.

Detention officers live in a parallel universe largely populated by men and women who you don't want as neighbors (unless you have no problem pot lucking with thieves, druggies, alcoholics, and various dysfunctional members of society). They need to employ the skills used by law enforcement personnel, social workers, clergy, medical professionals and more on a regular basis. And they have to do this with awareness that physical danger is a constant reality. It is a tough and thankless job to a large degree, but an honorable and rewarding one.

My writing will be divided into two main categories:

1. Response driven concerning current news
2. General observations and musings drawn from my experience or stories told to me

I hope to generate a sizeable following of folks who can "amen" where I'm coming from and appreciate the props that they deserve. Obviously, I hope to garner many "fans" across the detention field as I seek to defend and promote these heroes. It is one way I can give back to a career that gave so much to me. I also welcome those who would like to politely disagree and offer intelligent comments.

Finally, please extend me some grace when it comes to humor and sarcasm, without which, I don't think writing would be possible for me. It's my style and has generally worked for me. If you just happen to be obtuse, bless your heart, I won't hold it against you.

Thanks for reading