By Leischen Stelter
Working in corrections is a tough job where an officer’s safety often depends on his or her ability to communicate effectively and demonstrate heightened situational awareness.
“If I had never worked in corrections and had never been in an environment dealing with dangerous prisoners, I would not have learned how to pay such close attention to my surroundings,” said Scott Roberts, who worked in corrections for four years before making the switch to his current career as a sworn police officer.
Roberts started his law enforcement career as a corrections officer in Connecticut, South Carolina, and Georgia. In 2002, he decided to become a police officer and spent the last 12 years working his way up the ranks. He currently works as a training officer/firearms instructor and was interim chief at one point—a position he hopes to achieve again.
Roberts graduated from American Public University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and says that while his education prepared him for work as a police officer, it was his career in corrections that gave him many of the skills he depends on to keep him safe on a daily basis.
Enhanced Situational Awareness
After working in a prison system, an officer’s situational awareness and intuition is surprisingly acute. “You know what a normal situation feels like,” said Roberts. “If you’re in tune with your environment, you can sense tension in the air and know when something isn’t right.”
Corrections officers learn how to trust their instincts. Such intuition is critical for police officers as well. Soon after Roberts made the transition to law enforcement, he pulled over a vehicle for a traffic stop. While there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop, Roberts felt especially uneasy in this situation.
“The hair stood up on the back of my neck. It was the same feeling I had when I went through a prison riot,” he said. He was immediately on the defensive and his instinct was right—the driver ended up pulling a gun on him. While the situation ended without Roberts being harmed, it was affirmation that instinct plays an important role in officer safety. “If you sense something is wrong, it probably is. Trust your gut,” recommended Roberts.
Likewise, awareness of physical space is important. Corrections officers work in close quarters with inmates and quickly learn how to tactically position themselves in physical spaces, a skill also needed in police work. “Corrections officers know how to situate themselves around people so they’re never caught in the middle,” said Roberts.
Learn to Build Respect
Corrections officers work in an environment with dangerous people who don’t have much to lose, so officer safety often depends on respect, said Roberts. Corrections officers are vulnerable because they are not equipped with the same amount of protective equipment as police officers—they do not carry guns—and often all they have is a PR-24 baton and OC spray.
Roberts has found that effective corrections officers were often the ones who treated inmates well, but not biasedly. “Corrections officers earn respect from inmates be being firm, fair, and consistent,” he said. When inmates know that officers treat them fairly, they are likely to reciprocate that respect. “There have been examples of officers who were protected by inmates during riots because they respected those officers,” he said.
Improve Communication Skills
A big part of earning respect and staying safe is learning how to communicate effectively with inmates. “The odds aren’t in your favor in a prison setting,” said Roberts. “You must hone your communication skills because you can’t rely on the fear of your badge to protect you.”
Learning how to talk to people from all walks of life is an important skill. “Whether you’re a corrections or law enforcement officer, male or female, it’s important to hone your people skills and learn how to find common ground and break down barriers with people who don’t want to talk to you,” said Roberts. “The officers who can do that and get people talking are the ones who are successful officers in either career.”
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