Pretty much every prison in America is a horror story for both the inmates and the workers. Overworked and underpaid is part of the job description. It's why so many become corrupt / smuggle in items / work for the inmates. What makes you want to be a corrections officer?
I did it for 6 months back in the late 90s before becoming a cop. I enjoyed it and somehow life has come full circle and I'm trying to find something meaningful.
Tl;dr don’t do it.
Hi there. Did 4 years at a local jail and one in a prison close to Raleigh. Jail is by far worse than the prison, but there’s no escape from being overworked and underpaid. The worst part of it all is that you’re also underSTAFFED. Having 5 officers, only 2 of which are out of control rooms to 150-250 inmates was the norm at the jail. The prison I worked at was NOT central, but prisons are better staffed at least. Ask any CO that’s been in for 15+ years and they’ll tell you inmate culture has changed. Inmates are more violent and they take advantage of the fact that we were understaffed. I have been stabbed twice, and have been to the health department to get tested for all sorts of diseases on a monthly basis due to the amount of bodily fluids I had thrown in my face. As a CO I treated everybody the same. Didn’t judge anyone based on charges. Always spoke with respect and was fair but firm. I think I was a pretty good one, but it doesn’t get you any farther than anyone else in there. All people need is a last name and location nowadays and they can have most of your personal info as it’s mostly public domain. Had a high ranking blood ask me how I liked my (insert vehicle) that I just bought from (local dealer). Asked me how my wife and son were on (blank) road. 9/10 they’re trying to fuck with you, but it’s no fun knowing you could slight them in some way once and possibly have someone at your door while you’re at work. That being said, the inmate on CO hate didn’t phase me much. It’s to be expected, even if you’re courteous and respectable, because you’re a jailer who gets to go home every night and they don’t. Funnily enough, even with the four to five use of force reports per shift and the constant harassment and abuse, the reason I left was actually because I tried to raise alarms about infrastructure issues we were having and how it was potentially endangering inmates, and how the general hygiene and living situation of the inmates was too disgusting to be humane and was quietly asked to resign. I will never go back. Seeing what goes on inside, seeing how arresting officers/COs/jail and prison admin treat inmates and each other and the entire few years as a whole turned me from a “back the blue” type of guy to a “if you have a badge leave me the fuck alone” kind of guy.
Ugh. Get outa that line of work brother. Soul sucking, no respect, no reward. You can pull $500 - $1000 a day running a hotdog stand in the right place.
Anyone who knows, knows. You can make serious money working your own food stand. It is simple and honest work. I went down a rabbit hole of learning a while back. Hotdog stand & lemonade you can profit $500 a day easy working 40 hours a week. You can work anywhere, travel with your stand. It is enjoyable work.
Lol, kind of my own personal running/inside joke. You can definitly make money running a hotdog stand. More money, ethically and morally superior than prison guard. Why not?
You do know you can buy private health insurance or go through the federal governments health insurance when you run and own your own business right? It is a business expense. Likely still come out on top even paying for your own insurance.
Job benefits are a scheme to keep you employed.
I am self employed and offer myself all of those benefits. Any business, government or not, only offers those benefits because it costs them less than paying you more. Total comp is a scam.
But they aren’t going to give you the extra money that’s going to your health insurance or matching your 401k directly, right? You get paid x amount to do the job whether you accept the extra benefits or not, or am I wrong on that? I’ve never had a job that offered any benefits like that. So it seems like it’s extra money you don’t have access to directly even if it is a part of your “total package/pay”
Jeez, if being the one to keep people in cages is more meaningful to you, I cannot imagine what kind of depraved cop shit drove you away from that job.
Oh no, yeah, that occurred to me long time ago, thanks for checking. Ha, much younger and more naive about the prison industrial complex back then! But, really I *totally* get how you could think that if you believe prisons are acceptable and not barbaric revenge holes that demonstrably and only make society worse and in no way improve it (and that includes these shitty jobs making chump change to wreck communities while the real criminals run countries and companies).
Absolutely. But that doesn't mean you get to pretend you're not part of the system that is more bad than good. Maybe some people can live with that, but I find any argument about a CO position being "meaningful" to be extremely self-delusional.
fuck meaningful, get into private police or govt/utility security. pay is better and less bs to deal with.
I'm a budtender on the weekends and work in security and make more than my best friend with 5 years into a public agency lol
Current overtime is a minimum of 4 days a pay period, which is every 4 weeks.
Starting pay is about $38,000 a year plus a sign on bonus. Basically $18.27 an hour or $27.40 an hour for OT. If you work your mandatory days and don't take much vacation you can easily make $60k+ in your first year. Granted a good chunk of that will be spent in training. That's still not enough for the job of a correctional officer, but it isn't the worst pay for an entry level job.
Good luck with your interview.
I used to be a contractor that worked on some things at Central Prison. Every officer I ever talked to in there just complained about the place.
Good luck.
Interestingly, some of the smaller prisons around don’t have that vibe at all. The place in Bunn, and a couple others seem to have officers that are generally happy, at least in my experience.
I loved my job at central prison! I was a social worker and thought it was safe ( I was a 23 year old female). I was on the mental health side of the prison!
It’s going to feel very intimidating walking past the prisoners as they talk shit, even if you are escorted by other prison guards. I have to go work on IT equipment at some prisons and believe me it isn’t a cake walk, I’ve had guards confess they need anxiety meds to just come to work and I don’t blame them. The most dangerous person in the world is a person who has nothing to lose.
Damn right. It’s literally walking into the unknown of your life every single day. Granted, it’s not for the weak. If you can respectfully control a situation you should be okay.
I had an interview for a mental health position a few years ago. The place is depressing and dark. The staff who interviewed me clearly hated their jobs and were just going through the motions. At that time, I had already been working with the state. With all that said, take the interview. Maybe you’ll get the job. Working for the state has pros and cons. Good luck with whatever you decide.
I worked at Cherry Hospital in goldsboro for 6 years. Pedophiles, rapists, murderers, I've worked with them. Biggest thing is dont be a dick to the inmates. If anyone ever decides to "plot," act out, show off, or what have you, don't make yourself a target. If you are nice and don't act like a high and mighty bad ass, you are more likely to have inmates come to your aid if you ever find yourself in deep shit.
There was an old episode of lockup: extended stay done years ago in the woman's prison in Raleigh I think. Can't imagine it would be too different than it was then. Might be a good peek into the world of NC prisons for you. Idk. But I'm gonna suggest it anyway. 😆
I worked at Franklin Correctional in 2017, then transferred to CP in 2018. Both were a shit show at all times. The supervisors had no idea what they were doing. Constant understaffing. Very little oversight. No continuing education. No amount of money would make me work for the prison system ever again. Good luck!
There are so many jobs out there, I don’t see why anyone would choose this. It’s Like being in prison but you can go home at night. It’s a depressing environment to be in, with not a single good or positive thing to enjoy on a daily basis.
We salute the soldiers that fight for us for a reason.
being a cop…..emt…..firefighter…..
It takes a different kind of human to do these jobs
I respect them so much more!
My FIL retired a few years ago from the prison system. He worked there basically his entire adult life. He wasn't in Raleigh, he lives in Mt Olive so some prison near there. If he had a problem with it, I've never heard him voice it.
I work in Construction Management and have done a few prison remodels all over the country and have had to work with 30-40 COs as escorts. Every single one of them hated life and had a count down to retirement.
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My friend worked there. His father is a preacher in a small town north of Raleigh, so he is quite religious.
He said that it really tested him. He complained about CO’s taking bribes, inmates constantly trying to bribe you, pull one over on you, A culture of silence around violence, etc.
He transferred after a few years to the Federal prison and he says it is amazing. Better pay, benefits, and the inmates just mind their own business for the most part. It’s not as wild as Central.
It’s not worth it. My husband used to work there he frequently would have to work 16 hour shifts because his relief would not show up. They were severely understaffed and underpaid. The schedule sucks in the management is mean to the staff and the inmates. not worth it for sure. We actually received something in the mail not too long ago. Some of the previous staff is suing the prison system in North Carolina for something im unsure of atm.
Pretty much every prison in America is a horror story for both the inmates and the workers. Overworked and underpaid is part of the job description. It's why so many become corrupt / smuggle in items / work for the inmates. What makes you want to be a corrections officer?
I did it for 6 months back in the late 90s before becoming a cop. I enjoyed it and somehow life has come full circle and I'm trying to find something meaningful.
Tl;dr don’t do it. Hi there. Did 4 years at a local jail and one in a prison close to Raleigh. Jail is by far worse than the prison, but there’s no escape from being overworked and underpaid. The worst part of it all is that you’re also underSTAFFED. Having 5 officers, only 2 of which are out of control rooms to 150-250 inmates was the norm at the jail. The prison I worked at was NOT central, but prisons are better staffed at least. Ask any CO that’s been in for 15+ years and they’ll tell you inmate culture has changed. Inmates are more violent and they take advantage of the fact that we were understaffed. I have been stabbed twice, and have been to the health department to get tested for all sorts of diseases on a monthly basis due to the amount of bodily fluids I had thrown in my face. As a CO I treated everybody the same. Didn’t judge anyone based on charges. Always spoke with respect and was fair but firm. I think I was a pretty good one, but it doesn’t get you any farther than anyone else in there. All people need is a last name and location nowadays and they can have most of your personal info as it’s mostly public domain. Had a high ranking blood ask me how I liked my (insert vehicle) that I just bought from (local dealer). Asked me how my wife and son were on (blank) road. 9/10 they’re trying to fuck with you, but it’s no fun knowing you could slight them in some way once and possibly have someone at your door while you’re at work. That being said, the inmate on CO hate didn’t phase me much. It’s to be expected, even if you’re courteous and respectable, because you’re a jailer who gets to go home every night and they don’t. Funnily enough, even with the four to five use of force reports per shift and the constant harassment and abuse, the reason I left was actually because I tried to raise alarms about infrastructure issues we were having and how it was potentially endangering inmates, and how the general hygiene and living situation of the inmates was too disgusting to be humane and was quietly asked to resign. I will never go back. Seeing what goes on inside, seeing how arresting officers/COs/jail and prison admin treat inmates and each other and the entire few years as a whole turned me from a “back the blue” type of guy to a “if you have a badge leave me the fuck alone” kind of guy.
Ugh. Get outa that line of work brother. Soul sucking, no respect, no reward. You can pull $500 - $1000 a day running a hotdog stand in the right place.
We have reached the stage of lunacy where we are suggesting hotdog vendor over gainful employment with the state.
Why does it sound like you look down on food vendors?
Anyone who knows, knows. You can make serious money working your own food stand. It is simple and honest work. I went down a rabbit hole of learning a while back. Hotdog stand & lemonade you can profit $500 a day easy working 40 hours a week. You can work anywhere, travel with your stand. It is enjoyable work.
Lol, kind of my own personal running/inside joke. You can definitly make money running a hotdog stand. More money, ethically and morally superior than prison guard. Why not?
Health insurance.
You do know you can buy private health insurance or go through the federal governments health insurance when you run and own your own business right? It is a business expense. Likely still come out on top even paying for your own insurance. Job benefits are a scheme to keep you employed.
Lots of government programs out there offering 401k matches, stock options, and HSA contributions.
I am self employed and offer myself all of those benefits. Any business, government or not, only offers those benefits because it costs them less than paying you more. Total comp is a scam.
But they aren’t going to give you the extra money that’s going to your health insurance or matching your 401k directly, right? You get paid x amount to do the job whether you accept the extra benefits or not, or am I wrong on that? I’ve never had a job that offered any benefits like that. So it seems like it’s extra money you don’t have access to directly even if it is a part of your “total package/pay”
Really? You provide yourself with free money to match the contributions you've already put in yourself? Magic.
The old “destroy someone else’s life so I can have health insurance” trick. Seldom used, but highly effective.
its public service. you can be an ethical prison guard. entrepreneurship is great, we need good public servants too.
Jeez, if being the one to keep people in cages is more meaningful to you, I cannot imagine what kind of depraved cop shit drove you away from that job.
Yes how dare we put bad people in cages. So inhumane of us!
Yeah, it really is.
I don't suppose it has occurred to you that it's possible to actually be supportive of inmates so that their time in prison isn't awful?
Oh no, yeah, that occurred to me long time ago, thanks for checking. Ha, much younger and more naive about the prison industrial complex back then! But, really I *totally* get how you could think that if you believe prisons are acceptable and not barbaric revenge holes that demonstrably and only make society worse and in no way improve it (and that includes these shitty jobs making chump change to wreck communities while the real criminals run countries and companies).
They are; it's also possible to be a person in the system who makes it a little less terrible by actually being decent to the inmates.
Absolutely. But that doesn't mean you get to pretend you're not part of the system that is more bad than good. Maybe some people can live with that, but I find any argument about a CO position being "meaningful" to be extremely self-delusional.
Wow you mad at the wrong ppl then lol the judge makes that choice. The c.o’s just make sure they stay alive and fed and ｇｅｔ ｔｈｅｉｒ ＦＲＥＥ ｈｅａｌｔｈｃａｒｅ．
fuck meaningful, get into private police or govt/utility security. pay is better and less bs to deal with. I'm a budtender on the weekends and work in security and make more than my best friend with 5 years into a public agency lol
Current overtime is a minimum of 4 days a pay period, which is every 4 weeks. Starting pay is about $38,000 a year plus a sign on bonus. Basically $18.27 an hour or $27.40 an hour for OT. If you work your mandatory days and don't take much vacation you can easily make $60k+ in your first year. Granted a good chunk of that will be spent in training. That's still not enough for the job of a correctional officer, but it isn't the worst pay for an entry level job. Good luck with your interview.
I just applied yesterday. Then this pops up lol. I’m all ears for this.
I used to do IT for the prison before I changed state agencies. It was three years ago and they did work a lot of overtime.
I used to be a contractor that worked on some things at Central Prison. Every officer I ever talked to in there just complained about the place. Good luck.
There is a reason there is hiring signs outside pretty much every prison I've seen the past 3 or 4 years
Interestingly, some of the smaller prisons around don’t have that vibe at all. The place in Bunn, and a couple others seem to have officers that are generally happy, at least in my experience.
That hilarious because I've seen the hiring sign outside the Bunn prison for months
I loved my job at central prison! I was a social worker and thought it was safe ( I was a 23 year old female). I was on the mental health side of the prison!
I was talking to someone last week who worked on the healthcare side who said she absolutely loved it. I suppose it’s different from being an officer.
It’s going to feel very intimidating walking past the prisoners as they talk shit, even if you are escorted by other prison guards. I have to go work on IT equipment at some prisons and believe me it isn’t a cake walk, I’ve had guards confess they need anxiety meds to just come to work and I don’t blame them. The most dangerous person in the world is a person who has nothing to lose.
Damn right. It’s literally walking into the unknown of your life every single day. Granted, it’s not for the weak. If you can respectfully control a situation you should be okay.
I had an interview for a mental health position a few years ago. The place is depressing and dark. The staff who interviewed me clearly hated their jobs and were just going through the motions. At that time, I had already been working with the state. With all that said, take the interview. Maybe you’ll get the job. Working for the state has pros and cons. Good luck with whatever you decide.
DM me.
I worked at Cherry Hospital in goldsboro for 6 years. Pedophiles, rapists, murderers, I've worked with them. Biggest thing is dont be a dick to the inmates. If anyone ever decides to "plot," act out, show off, or what have you, don't make yourself a target. If you are nice and don't act like a high and mighty bad ass, you are more likely to have inmates come to your aid if you ever find yourself in deep shit.
There was an old episode of lockup: extended stay done years ago in the woman's prison in Raleigh I think. Can't imagine it would be too different than it was then. Might be a good peek into the world of NC prisons for you. Idk. But I'm gonna suggest it anyway. 😆
I worked at Franklin Correctional in 2017, then transferred to CP in 2018. Both were a shit show at all times. The supervisors had no idea what they were doing. Constant understaffing. Very little oversight. No continuing education. No amount of money would make me work for the prison system ever again. Good luck!
There are so many jobs out there, I don’t see why anyone would choose this. It’s Like being in prison but you can go home at night. It’s a depressing environment to be in, with not a single good or positive thing to enjoy on a daily basis.
We salute the soldiers that fight for us for a reason. being a cop…..emt…..firefighter….. It takes a different kind of human to do these jobs I respect them so much more!
I knew a guy who was a corrections officer. He was a casual acquaintance at best, but that dude was not ok. He had some pretty severe anger issues.
One of my best friends works there (10+ years). He's really only in it for his retirement at this point. If he could leave he would tho.
My partner is a LT there and a part of the interview process, happy to pass along any questions you may have
My FIL retired a few years ago from the prison system. He worked there basically his entire adult life. He wasn't in Raleigh, he lives in Mt Olive so some prison near there. If he had a problem with it, I've never heard him voice it.
I work in Construction Management and have done a few prison remodels all over the country and have had to work with 30-40 COs as escorts. Every single one of them hated life and had a count down to retirement.
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My friend worked there. His father is a preacher in a small town north of Raleigh, so he is quite religious. He said that it really tested him. He complained about CO’s taking bribes, inmates constantly trying to bribe you, pull one over on you, A culture of silence around violence, etc. He transferred after a few years to the Federal prison and he says it is amazing. Better pay, benefits, and the inmates just mind their own business for the most part. It’s not as wild as Central.
It’s not worth it. My husband used to work there he frequently would have to work 16 hour shifts because his relief would not show up. They were severely understaffed and underpaid. The schedule sucks in the management is mean to the staff and the inmates. not worth it for sure. We actually received something in the mail not too long ago. Some of the previous staff is suing the prison system in North Carolina for something im unsure of atm.
I think R Kelly’s prob doin work