>Users:   login   |  register       > email     > people    


Who should ask ‘What the Hell is in that Cell?’
By Joe Bouchard
Published: 09/19/2016

Officer incident


It takes a village to raise a child, according to the proverb. In that spirit, I believe that it takes a team to keep everyone safe. This applies, without a doubt, to contraband control. Corrections is interconnected and requires cooperation from all staff to run optimally. And contraband is a persistent problem.

The fundamental idea of contraband control is to remove dangerous items from circulation. Also, we confiscate things that are not obviously dangerous, but are tradeable. This leads to a safer facility with fewer weapons and moves toward a more level playing field. This is possible because we reduce opportunities for prisoners to gain power over others through trade of items for goods and services. This is a necessary corrections function. After all, it is often a seller’s market. Services acquired by a contrabandist strengthen his or her economic power.

That is the “what” of that part of the safety operations. Shouldn’t we consider “who” is involved? In other words, who should ask ‘what the hell is in that cell?’

It takes a village to raise a child, according to the proverb. In that spirit, I believe that it takes a team to keep everyone safe. This applies, without a doubt, to contraband control. Corrections is interconnected and requires cooperation from all staff to run optimally.

Custody staff are the obvious contraband control champions. They are trained to find and remove bootleg. They understand firsthand the dangers of weapons and unauthorized trade, as well as the benefits of contraband control. However, support staff offer many talents that buttress the efforts of corrections officers. When we overlook the assistance of support staff, we undermine the full potential of safety and contraband control.

There are many varieties of support staff. Among them are teachers, counselors, social workers, administrative staff and athletic directors. In addition there are librarians, health care staff, maintenance staff, clerical staff and food service workers.

Support staff in general see prisoners interact from a non-custody perspective. In fact, offenders might act less careful around non-custody staff because they are not normally uniformed. In this case, non-custody staff can build a sort of prosopography through quiet, unobtrusive observation.

Housing unit staff see the movers and shakers in each unit. They have information at their fingertips about spending, acquisition, and contacts from the outside world. They can monitor associations within the unit and know prisoner’s temperament. Housing unit staff such as counselors and Resident Unit Managers know how offender follow (or do not follow) rules. They have an idea of the overt and covert prisoner trouble makers in residence.

Administrative staff are useful in the contraband control process in that they facilitate the feeding of the information machine by other staff. They allow a proper flow and ensure that those who need the information receive it. They assess the safety needs of the facility and allow for proper input and judicious dissemination of information. They also can assure that crucial data recorded for future use.

All of this can raise the search from basic serendipity to a bona fide system. Certainly, intuition does uncover schemes. But assistance from support staff gives a better edge to the search. There is great utility in observations and theories offered by non-custody staff.

What we do is important. But by adding more staff to the operations, we can greatly enhance security. That is why the who is important. Any corrections staff, no matter how removed from the strict custodial duties, is a part of the contraband control team. In the end, our successes, like our efforts are for everyone.

Joe Bouchard is a Librarian employed with the Michigan Department of Corrections and a collaborator with The International Association of Correctional Training Personnel (IACTP). He is also the author of “IACTP’s Corrections Icebreakers: The Bouchard 101, 2014”. The installments in this series include his opinions. The agency for which he works is not in any way responsible for the content or accuracy of this material, and the views are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of the agency. While some material is influenced by other works, all of the icebreakers have been developed by Joe Bouchard.

Visit the Joe Bouchard page

Other articles by Bouchard:


Comments:

  1. Eva on 04/25/2020:

    Thankyou for the Article. If you like to wish someone then Good morning quotes for friends are for them

  2. daba on 03/29/2020:

    When you feel depressed you feel that its not worth living anymore. By reading these Inspirational Quotes to Fight Depression you will feel much better.

  3. StephanieCasey on 03/22/2020:

    This topic has always fascinated me. Thank you for writing an article that has great content and is well written. Well I am inspired by your writing style his topic has always fascinated me. YourHair

  4. Sophia Addison on 01/04/2020:

    What a wonderful post. Really loved going through it. Numerous times the mass is unaware of various information which can be of immense importance. It has been seen that students are often allocated with essays to write on this particular topic. Naturally, the information available on this topic is rare. I will share it with friends and students who want to gain knowledge in order to frame their paper. To add on, the article has been very well written.

  5. StephanieCasey on 09/07/2019:

    Thanks for your insight for your fantastic posting. I’m glad I have taken the time to see this. Is Legit or Scam Review

  6. Roger Fox on 05/22/2019:

    Very useful post. This is my first time i visit here. I found so many interesting stuff in your blog especially its discussion. Really its great article. Keep it up. train the trainer course brisbane

  7. Roger Fox on 05/21/2019:

    I have read your excellent post. This is a great job. I have enjoyed reading your post first time. I want to say thanks for this post. Thank you... AffordableProfessional Proofreading

  8. StephanieCasey on 04/06/2019:

    Nice post! This is a very nice blog that I will definitively come back to more times this year! Thanks for informative post. Agen QQ Online

  9. StephanieCasey on 04/06/2019:

    Nice post! This is a very nice blog that I will definitively come back to more times this year! Thanks for informative post. Max Cash for Junk Cars

  10. StephanieCasey on 03/20/2019:

    Hello, this weekend is good for me, since this time i am reading this enormous informative article here at my home. ABP-845

  11. tamras on 03/01/2019:

    Toronto Limo Rentals offer extravagant party bus experience coupled with seamless booking options, online payment methods, dedicated customer support, and qualified event managers. Toronto Party Bus

  12. StephanieCasey on 02/28/2019:

    I think this is an informative post and it is very useful and knowledgeable. therefore, I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. furniture and decor reviews

  13. StephanieCasey on 02/19/2019:

    I think this is an informative post and it is very useful and knowledgeable. therefore, I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. https://www.assignmentjunkie.co.uk

  14. Roger Fox on 02/18/2019:

    I wanted to leave a little comment to support you and wish you a good continuation. Wishing you the best of luck for all your blogging efforts. seo hub

  15. Roger Fox on 02/17/2019:

    I just got to this amazing site not long ago. I was actually captured with the piece of resources you have got here. Big thumbs up for making such wonderful blog page! seo hub

  16. StephanieCasey on 02/11/2019:

    This is my first time i visit here and I found so many interesting stuff in your blog especially it's discussion. thank you. SUSHI PLACES IN MANHATTAN

  17. StephanieCasey on 02/07/2019:

    It sets the tone and the tempo of your daily life. If you wake up late and rush through your morning, the day will likely feel rushed and hurried. good morning quotes

  18. latesthairstylezz on 02/04/2019:

    I really benefit from locating a site that gives you good information since I like finding out new things. I wanted to convey that I discovered the content on your web page has been quite entertaining and that I learnt something new. An excellent web site and I will return again for additional fantastic content find us on haircuts for round faces

  19. StephanieCasey on 02/02/2019:

    Superbly written article, if only all bloggers offered the same content as you, the internet would be a far better place.. pomeranian boo sahiplendirme

  20. StephanieCasey on 11/12/2018:

    I just got to this amazing site not long ago. I was actually captured with the piece of resources you have got here. Big thumbs up for making such wonderful blog page! http://rochester-ny.nybizjobs.com/

  21. BradleyNelson on 10/15/2018:

    I think that you guys need a lot of corrections in this article as well and for this, you can look at essay services uk. They've some amazing samples that you guys can see just to make sure that you are doing the right thing.


Login to let us know what you think

User Name:   

Password:       


Forgot password?





correctsource logo




Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of The Corrections Connection User Agreement
The Corrections Connection ©. Copyright 1996 - 2024 © . All Rights Reserved | 15 Mill Wharf Plaza Scituate Mass. 02066 (617) 471 4445 Fax: (617) 608 9015