Imagine that you witness a car accident.  Many thoughts go through your head as you survey the twisted hunks of metal and blaze of emergency vehicle lights.  Many of us may think, “Thankfully, that was not me!”

Really, this is not callous, selfish, nor sadistic.  Rather, it is a survival mechanism.  We do not really wish harm to fall on others, but we hold our personal safety at a higher priority. 

Of course, we also think the following: Is every one alright?  How did it happen?  That is the most tragic thing that I have ever seen.  Could it have been avoided?

Let's apply this to the corrections profession. If something embarrassing or dangerous occurs at another facility, it is unfortunate.  And we are glad that it did not happen at our in institution.  However, if the same incident happens in our specific work place, often it is catastrophic. 

When your facility is featured in the media under less than ideal circumstances, you long for something else to happen elsewhere as a way to divert attention. In the short term, the glare of scandals and tragedies is lessened on you when a bad news occurs at another location.  However, in the long term, all of the system ultimately suffers.

In corrections, we all share wounds.  Something that happens elsewhere in corrections still affects the profession as a whole.  It is like a trauma on an arm that eventually causes discomfort to the entire body. Initially, it may seem small and local.  But its effects can intensify and spread through the entire corpus.

This concept is driven on perception. In many cases, the public regards all prisons as one.  Any institutional scandal, for example, that is covered in national news throws a large stone in the placid pond of the public's attention.  All other facilities can be completely innocent of charges and have nothing to do with the horror, lack of professionalism, or danger depicted in the news.  Yet, all may be blamed, to a degree.  To many, a prison is a prison. They may reason that the entire profession is culpable.

That places a tension on us as professionals. We suffer many ill effects. With the public scowling, we begin to feel a sense of vocational worthlessness.  Getting dirty looks from someone that you do not know is not something that normally stings.  But when it is in connection to our livelihood, we become concerned.  This portrays our occupation as a monster, one which we have helped to create and perpetuate.

Remaining true to our work ideals during times of social stigma tests the strength of our professionalism. Our collective vocational depression often leads to mistakes.  When we start to believe negative thoughts, we compromise the safety of all in the institution through inattention to detail and apathy.

Part of the remedy is to look at our merits. It is easy for corrections professionals to consider the good works of our profession. Every single day, our occupation successfully does the following:

Keeps the public safe by housing convicted felons;
Keeps prisoners safe inside of the institution;
Maintains a safe atmosphere for staff, visitors, and neighbors;
Monitors and treat probationers;
Prevents violence, illegal activities, and escapes.

While the public may be aware of our good work, they are usually silent or apathetic about the profession.  They do not generally think about corrections until there is a problem. 

Consider that corrections as a whole can experience perfectly-smooth running operations for 99 days in a row.  But when the 100th day comes and there is a problem, the 100th day will be remembered. All of our progress can be wiped out by one negative news story.  There is a huge public outcry when a drug or sex scandal in our institutions comes to light.  Escapes, violence, and reports of abuse (rightly so) raise the ire of our patrons.  1 

It is not up to the public to realize our worth.  That leaves it up to each organization to promote its good works. Merits of an institution and the profession are not as readily accessible to the public.  And it is not the job of the general public to research our giving and commendable deeds. Therefore, it is up to us to enhance a positive image.  It may not seem fair that we have to act as our own cheerleaders in addition to our everyday duties.  But that is the reality of the situation.

Here are many ways that we can demonstrate our helpful side to the general public:

Promote positive events in smaller, local newspapers;
Enter your facility in a local blood drive;
Make a show of force in a local charity event such as The March of Dimes;
Publicize special departmental award ceremonies which have winners from your facility;
Fund a canned goods collection drive before Thanksgiving;
Sponsor children's sports teams;
Adopt a highway or clear litter from a park.

It is the media's job to report events. As we know, less than flattering portrayals can be painful and put a strain on the workings of an institution.  The effects are potentially devastating.  That does not mean that we are helpless as a profession to improve our image.

When we drive down the road of corrections professionalism, we often encounter accidents.  It behooves us as a profession to help the injured and comfort the aggrieved.  We must remember that we may feel relief that the tragedy did not happen directly to us, but in reality we all share our wounds in corrections.

About the Author – Joseph Bouchard is a Librarian at Baraga Maximum Correctional Facility within the Michigan Department of Corrections.  He is also a member of the Board of Experts for The Corrections Professional  and an instructor of Corrections and Psychology for Gogebic Community College.  You can reach him at (906) 353-7070 ext 1321

These are the opinions of Joseph Bouchard, a Librarian employed with the Michigan Department of Corrections.  These are not necessarily the opinions of the Department or Corrections.com.  The MIDOC is not responsible for the content or accuracy.

1 - Bouchard, Joseph. "How to reverse negative images in corrections." The Corrections Professional 10.17 (2005): 3.