Budget Cuts Threatens Prison Guard Safety

Its understandable business decision that you have to balance money and man power. Its a sad situation when money overcomes the value of a life in balancing the equation. Policy is broken on a regular basis in a common sense fashion at every company that exists, but when the same mistake happens in the same place with similar circumstances it seems the state is out of balance with the resources that are needed and out of touch with risk versus reward. Risk and reward go hand in hand its the American way but risking a life for 22k a year seems a little out of line from my perspective. Ill pay a few cents more for a loaf of bread and give the guards the resources they need to get the job done.

Their jobs wouldnt be as dangerous if the courts would start putting some of these bastards to death like they deserve!Murderers,child rapist,and rapist in general should get the death penalty ,no and ifs or buts.And the first offense of attacking a guard should mean the death penaty.

I am currently employed at Charles Bass, and I can tell you that this story only scratches the surface. Tensions between administration and security staff are high. Due to constant shortages in each shift, mandatory overtime has been initiated to cover any gaps, or shortages for each shift. Many correctional officers feel as thouygh administration does not care about the safety and well being of its officers, and I feel the same way.In short, with all its problems, Chalres bass is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode, In closing let me say this. Last year, an inmate was abused by an officer at Charles Bass, and public outcry was enormous. And rightfully so. There is never a need to mistreat an inmate. ON thje other hand, Officer Michael Church was brutally beaten, and nobody said anything. I feel that's a sad commentary on our community.

As a former officer at CBCX, I know why there are discrepancies in the log books. On paper, guild 4 has 2 officers assigned to it. But unless there are showers, the second officer is taken out and works the yard, the gym or whatever may be going on at the time. Then that officer remains out during the rest of the shift.
However, there are 2 cameras in guild 4 as well as the officer.
Unfortunately, guild 7 has no cameras. More often than not though, guild 7 has 2 officers in it.
The starting pay for officers is approx.$23,700 per year. That is little money for the stress of short handedness that is experienced by every officer at every institution, not just CBCX.
And to make matters worse, recently there have been "bad apples" on the news. Officers, both male and female, engaging in sexual misconduct with inmates.

They don't call it the Department of Corruption for no reason.......

I know first hand what happens when the system cuts back, the burden falls on the CO's. TN needs to reevaluate what the law suits will cost in contrast to what they will save with the cut backs. As a father who lost his 19 year old son to homocide while serving 8 years for property crimes, I have learned more everyday that the system has it's cracks and failures. Officers making 24,000 a year, working alone in a unit with anywhere from 130 inmates to 200 inmates. If we looked at what the administrators make, I bet it's more than 24+. I guess the casualties of these cut backs will only be the families of the less violent inmates who will fall prey to a system that will be run by the gangs and other inmates. Think about it.

if they were to controll the system and quit sending ppl to jail and prison for stupid or non volient chargers we would be alot better and safer in jail

I work at Charles Bass Correctional Complex. Just about everything I have heard about CBCX is true...Good and bad. Most of the time we are understaffed and overworked. I myself have worked 3 different posts at the same time! The job got done, but at what price...When I am on the yard (the only yard officer mind you)there is no way of being able to correctly do my job, any number of things could be happening at any given moment. If two different emergencies were to happen quite a few people would all be,well pardon my language: FUCKED! CBCX has an operating capacity of over 1,000 inmates, there is one Captain and Lieutenant, one Sergent, four! corporals getting paid Corporals pay to do the job of a correctional officer, and lo and behold there are no yard positions on the roster as of July 11, 2008! In light of what has happened it seems just a little bit strange that there are no officers to do the job. A Corporal or higher is a SUPERVISOR! They are not suppose to do an officers job yet at least four of them are. Yet people are talking about money not being there for more officers. But I digress, when officer Michael Church was beaten there was no entry anywhere, in any logbook about this happening, period, end of story. No one even talks about it. When someone asks, it is just shrugged off as "he is doing fine." Charles Bass really fucked it up that day and they are trying to cover there asses and it just isn't working anymore. People are talking. They aren't going to stop talking until something changes, and like they say "Change is the only constant in the universe."

I spent many years working at Charles Bass Correctional Complex (CBCX), formally called Middle Tennessee Reception Center (MTRC). I have also worked at DeBerry Special Needs Facility (DSNF), Riverbend Maximum Security Institution (RMSI), and the old Tennessee State Prison (TSP). During my 25 year career I have seen many dangerous things occur within the Tennessee Department of Correction. However, I have never seen the danger level as high as it is now.

Correctional Officers are leaving by the hundreds and the remaining staff members are forced to work longer days and longer weeks with no regard for their personal lives and families. The administration has become dependent on the operational guidance from those working in Central Office. The same people that have never worked inside a prison or have not worked within one for many years. They seem to have all the answers except how to fix anything.

Falsification of documents and staffing rosters has been going on for years. The shift supervisors are often less knowledgeable than those working the housing units. Leadership has become a joke as only politics decides a person’s career. Correctional Officers are forced to carry all the workload and all the blame should something go wrong. No one cares about the staff members anymore and this is true at all prison facilities within the state.

What will happen when all the Correctional Officers leave in the next few months? I guess it is not a problem yet because we will find somebody to do it, right! Wrong, we are running out of options and we cannot keep the staff we have. Cut more positions to save more money seems to be the new answer. Well TDOC, keep doing what you have always been doing and live with the results.

I worked at CBCX for two years
I was assigned as a relief officer in guild 7(transit inmates)those in for court.
I worked guild 7, 2 days a week for over a year and only had a partner 4 times.
they will assign one on the master list but put them somewhere else(yard officer for example)it is done every day and it wont change.......I whis it would but it wont....
I no longer work at CBCX i went to DCSO because of working conditions and pay.
scott

i think that the budget shouldnt have been cut for correction officers, we need them to do there job and also be safe. with the low pay it is not enough for someone to put there life on the line everyday and then have to fill the spot for 2 people. not every inmate is harmful but there are several. in the areas that have to have 2 please make sure of that.

Is it fair that the clerks and secretaries make more than the officers? Nothing will ever change as long as we have the same political administration that looks at it on paper and not how it really functions.

CBCX Officer wrote:

I work at Charles Bass Correctional Complex. Just about everything I have heard about CBCX is true...Good and bad. Most of the time we are understaffed and overworked. I myself have worked 3 different posts at the same time! The job got done, but at what price...When I am on the yard (the only yard officer mind you)there is no way of being able to correctly do my job, any number of things could be happening at any given moment. If two different emergencies were to happen quite a few people would all be,well pardon my language:****! CBCX has an operating capacity of over 1,000 inmates, there is one Captain and Lieutenant, one Sergent, four! corporals getting paid Corporals pay to do the job of a correctional officer, and lo and behold there are no yard positions on the roster as of July 11, 2008! In light of what has happened it seems just a little bit strange that there are no officers to do the job. A Corporal or higher is a SUPERVISOR! They are not suppose to do an officers job yet at least four of them are. Yet people are talking about money not being there for more officers. But I digress, when officer Michael Church was beaten there was no entry anywhere, in any logbook about this happening, period, end of story. No one even talks about it. When someone asks, it is just shrugged off as "he is doing fine." Charles Bass really **** it up that day and they are trying to cover there asses and it just isn't working anymore. People are talking. They aren't going to stop talking until something changes, and like they say "Change is the only constant in the universe."

You know as well as I do that guild 4 does not always need 2 officers. There was never an incident when Ofcr K. or Ofcr. M worked. I am not blaming any officer but the cell doors are not be be opened unless 2 officers are present. The same rule applies for any guild on 3rd shift. Hence the cameras.
As another poster commented in the forum on TPW, any Tom, Dick or Harry can become an officer now since there is no testing. Pass the (oh-so-simple) 6 week training course and instant CO.
There is no easy solution. Twelve hour shifts won't work. Mandatory overtime is not working. No one wants to be treated like sh!t and be paid less than a secretary or factory worker.

The Tennessee Department of Correction has reached the point of no return. New problems are being addressed with old methods and nothing is working. The best and brightest correctional employees are leaving state service while the old stagnated employees remain with the same old attitudes and management concepts. Supervisors have become “Yes men” for the administration while the front line employees become nothing more than expendable objects.

Morale has never been so low and there is no effort to improve it. The average Correctional Officer does not say more than six months, however, most Correctional Sergeants and above never leave. Administrative staff can simply destroy any facility due to poor management practices and receive higher positions downtown. However, front line staff can make simple mistakes and be terminated from state service.

We can paint whatever picture we want and nothing will change. The Tennessee Department of Correction operates on politics not production. If you expect to survive, you must have friends in high places. The same is true for any promotion above the rank of Corporal. You can work in administration for 6 months to a year and receive a nice party when you decide to leave the facility. However, if you work on the front line for 30 years and decide to leave, no one in administration will give it a second thought, they may not even know your name.

The highest levels of government within the Tennessee Department of Correction have simply lost touch with the working classification within our prison facilities. They substitute their poor leadership and management skills with finger-pointing. Of course, they never step up and take the blame for their decisions. It is always someone else’s fault and it will always be that way.

There are a lot of highly talented correctional employees that will never make it beyond the entry level positions simply because they cannot afford to wait 15 years for an opportunity. No one in the upper echelon positions will ever leave because they will never be found at fault for anything. Abolish the civil service protection for all management positions and allow the best man or woman to openly compete for these positions. In less than 5 years the Tennessee Department of Correction will find the best leaders and managers among its own ranks. It will not be hard to find them because they will move to the top based on their abilities not their political connections.

AMEN!

I hope the media will continue to expose the wrong doings of our higher ups in TDOC and state government when it comes to our officers until things change. In most other states to be a corrections officer is something to be proud of and you are well compensated for it. I can see that the thinking is that this is the way things are and people accept it. For things to change we need a few people in positions that can make a difference. As it stands there is nobody in a position of authority that cares and is willing to push for our officers to be respected by the community and other law enforcement agencies. If you want to know what the fix is I'll tell you. Money!! and Standards!! If they raised the salaries by $10,000 across the board and put in increases over a 5 to 7 year period with cost of living raises on top of that you wouldn't have the turnover you have right now and people would be proud to work for TDOC. The government will say they don't have the money but that's not true. They are paying out that money now with the turnover rate(Training) and overtime. What they are doing is keeping everyone down with the divide and conquer method because with this turnover it's hard to have unity and good morale in the workplace and the bottom line is that as everyday goes by and the job gets done, no matter how short we are, they(administration) feel there's no change needed. Our safety is of no concern to them. They will just keep hiring people as people keep quiting until someone close to them is affected. I hope to see change or I also will have to seek other options. I will help as much as I can while I'm still here but when all said and done I have to support my family as well. Stay strong my fellow officers!!!!!

Why is the pay so low for a correction officer and so much more for a police officer? The correction officer is in harms way every time he or she goes to work. Plus a police officer cares a gun for protection.

There is no comparison of Police Officers and Correctional Officers, the public will never allow this to occur. Police Officers remain in the public eye and are honored when they rescue a cat from a tree, help a child in need, or help an innocent senior citizen cross the street. There are not cats, children, or innocent senior citizens in prison.

Police Officers wait for a 911 dispatcher to call them informing them where a criminal may be located. Correctional Officers go to work every day surrounded by hundreds of criminals. When Police Officers find themselves in a dangerous situation, they call for backup and dozens of other Police Officers rush to the aid. Correctional Officers must now avoid dangerous situations because backup in nowhere to be found as budget cuts have created major staffing shortages. Police Officers can work for weeks or even months without coming in contact with dangerous and violent people. Correctional Officers cannot work a single day without such contact.

If a Police Officer is injured in the line of duty, the news dominates the day and answers are demanded by the general public. Correctional Officers are injured throughout the state almost daily and no one knows anything is happening. The public see Correctional Officers as less important than Police Officers because they have no real idea what happens behind the prison fence. Our Commissioner should do more to bring public attention to the correctional occupation. Unfortunately, with such attention comes public exposure to the operational methods and working conditions. You cannot remain in office if the public see unfavorable behavior and working conditions.

So, the answer to your question is simple. Police Officer cannot be compared to Correctional Officers because the public could develop a higher view of Correctional Officers. With a higher view comes higher pay and higher standards, something TDOC cannot afford. Police Officers deserve support and respect for the job they do every day. However, Correctional Officers deserve the same level of support. We can start by telling the media to stop calling them “Guards� unless they are willing to call Police Officers P.I.G.S, it has the same overtone. Correctional Officers have earned the right to be called by their official title rather than their unfavorable nickname.

I have been in law enforcement for many years. I spent six years working for the Department of Correction at DeBerry Special Needs Facility (DSNF) for six years prior to becoming a police officer. One thing is for certain is that it is a lot safer and easier being a cop than it is a Correctional Officer. For one, police officers do not have to put up with an administration that does not care about them. During my time with the state, I was assaulted by an inmate. All this inmate received was a Disciplinary and some days in the hole. Needless to say, it really did not matter because the inmate was on maximum security. Besides the inmate, the administration did not even care. They did not care that I was hurt. They did not care that I was out of work and had food to put on the table for my wife and kids. As a matter of fact, the administration blamed me more so than the inmate. No person can continue to work under a high volume of stress for next to nothing, work mandatory days off, work multiple 16 hour shifts and a week, and continue to work for an administration that cares nothing about them. Besides the administration, the administration is ordered by well over paid people who work downtown. The majority of central office personnel didn’t even work behind the wire, and they want to tell a CO how to do their job and what they are doing wrong.
As far as the budgets cuts. That is the stupidest CRAP I have ever heard of. No one cuts law enforcement. That’s like saying we are going to remove metro officers from the streets, and the Nashville citizens are going to have to fend for themselves. Asides from cutting the jobs, let’s just go ahead and tell our Correctional Officers that they are going to have to work more for less. Oh, that’s right, the individuals that are making those calls don’t have to work their off days and double shifts for nothing more than the cost of living. All you will hear from the administration is “It’s not my problem”. It’s not their problem when families are broken up and children never get to see their families. I guess the administration just thinks that Cos do not have outside lives from work. Maybe, the budget cutters should finally start cutting those useless high paying jobs that some of those administration personnel have and finally give Correctional Officers what they deserve.
Being a CO is no different than being a street cop. At least as a street cop I have more protection, like a side arm. You have nothing behind the wire except for a radio. That’s all you have to deal with the worst criminals in the world, criminals who make weapons and outnumber you by sometimes as many as 200 to 1. THEY say you have back up. Back up does not stop a shank, and that’s a fact.
I just want to thank all of those who still work as Correctional Officers for the job that you do every day. You do not hear it enough. Society does not realize the job that you do everyday protecting the free. Thank you for everything. The only reason you are not recognized like Police Officers is because you are not seen daily by the public. When you are seen, it is generally negative. Once again thank you. I deal with the bad guy for a few hours, maybe. You deal with the bad guys daily.
Maybe, if they won’t give you all those high paying salaries that those higher ups have, maybe they will make those higher ups work shift a few days a week to cut down on the overtime. I know everyone needs to keep dreaming, and this issue will probably be forgotten in a week.
Every CO is in my prayers and I thank you for the job that not everyone can do.

Being a correctional officer myself. I disagree with the commissioner. He is covering for himself..there is no way he can justify running unit 7 a transit unit with only 1 officer. this is so unfair to the officer.. The supervisors at the place don't care about officers all they care about is having a position filled whether it's policy or not. Capt Hardcastle is right they might put 2 names on the roster but you can believe before the day is over 1 officer is going to get pulled to another post probably just to do a lazy supervisor's work...

It is truly sad that Correctional Officers, already, do not even make close to what the cost of living is. Now, that the gas prices have sky rocketed, COs can't even afford to go to work. Officers should just go and file for unemployment and TennCare. They would probably be better off than actually working, and they would finally be able to spend time with their families. At leaset if they did that, COs would be around people who cared about them for a change. Lets see, either work for gas, or let the state pay for food. I'll go with food.