Doing Time Eight Hours a Day: Memoirs of a Correctional Officer

By James R. Palmer

Correctional officers face danger every time they go to work, and the public rarely appreciates the job that they do. Author James R. Palmer worked many years at the Kentucky Department of Corrections, spending seven of them with the solitary confinement unit. In this memoir, he looks back at his career and shares what its really like working in prison.

For example, inmates arent afraid to use sharp objects to hurt officers, whojust like the inmatesoften find themselves behind locked doors. Correctional officers also face constant exposure to diseases and infections, as well as constant stress that can upset family life and make sleep nearly impossible. While some people might say, If its that bad, then quit, correctional officers stay on the job for a variety of reasons, including a desire to serve and protect the public.

Doing Time Eight Hours a Day shares one mans firsthand experiences of what its like to be a correctional officer and rub elbows with some of the most dangerous men and women alive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491711989

James R. Palmer

James R. Palmer spent more than twenty years in the US Army and was trained by the FBI as a hostage negotiator. He was a buyer for a military catalog company before joining the Kentucky Department of Corrections in 1996, spending twelve years there, the last seven in its solitary confinement unit. Now retired, he lives in Kentucky.

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Copyright © 2013 James R. Palmer.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-1197-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-1199-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-1198-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013918990

iUniverse rev. date: 10/19/2013

Contents

Glossary

Common Signals and Codes

Disclaimer

Introduction

Chapter 1   First Impression

Chapter 2   First Day in Prison

Chapter 3   Learning the Basics

Chapter 4   Welcome to a Different World

Chapter 5   Officers—Good and Bad

Chapter 6   The Convicted

Chapter 7   Who Do You Trust?

Chapter 8   Programs Available to Inmates

Chapter 9   Staff Assistance

Chapter 10   Inmate Living Areas

Chapter 11   The Yard—Is It an Escape or Reminder?

Chapter 12   Illegal Activities

Chapter 13   Visits and Visitation—Family Day

Chapter 14   Justice in Prison

Chapter 15   Local Supermarket

Chapter 16   Prison in a Prison

Chapter 17   Cell Entries for Stubborn Convicts

Chapter 18   Assaults on Staff and Inmates

Chapter 19   Strange (Bed) Fellows

Chapter 20   Moneymakers

Chapter 21   Time Winds Down

Epilogue   Quitting Time

This book is dedicated with love to my wife, Donna, who has supported me in whatever I wanted to do. She put up with the late nights, the overtime, and the endless stories that have been told and retold over the years. Most she can probably tell now herself.

And to those who have contributed to this book, my friends and colleagues, thanks for your input, support, and contributions.

And to Cathy with her red ink pen!

Glossary

Common Signals and Codes

While many different signals and codes are used in prison, just as they are in law enforcement, all agencies are working on eliminating their use in favor of clear text. That means plain speak, in case there are outside agencies involved. It’s also easier to communicate, as sometimes in the heat of the situation, one can forget or mention a wrong code or signal code. A lot happens when the adrenaline is pumping and you are responding to a situation or an emergency and many things are happening all at once.

With all these to remember, you can see why almost all agencies are going to clear text or talk. Yes, the inmates can also hear and understand, but time is of the essence in any emergency. Your life could depend on it!

Disclaimer

All names have been changed to protect the identities of the staff and inmates still at LLCC or other state prisons. Many areas cannot be described in detail due to their sensitive nature and for security reasons.

Introduction

This book was written for several reasons.

Not knowing what transpired inside a prison led me to seek employment there—as compared to what we all see on television. I wanted to know what happens, as I always had a penchant for law enforcement.

Going into corrections fulfilled a personal urge, but I wanted to let the public in on what happens behind the concertina-wired fences, locked doors, and drably painted walls of a prison.

Follow the stories of officers and inmates on their daily journeys of trials and tribulations. Read how friendships are formed among the opposite sides and how they impact each other’s lives.

And hopefully to prevent just one more person from going to prison.

The DOC (Mock) Miranda

You have the right to swing first. However, if you choose to swing first, any move you make can and will be used as an excuse to beat the shit out of you.

You have the right to have a doctor and a priest present.

If you cannot afford a doctor or are not presently attending a church of your choice, one will be appointed to you.

Do you understand what I just told you, asshole?

This is a joke version of the actual Miranda warning, for our amusement and use only. It was not intended to replace the original Miranda warning.

Chapter 1

FIRST IMPRESSION

Box One is the first contact anyone has with the prison.

Be it staff, inmate, visitor, vendor, or police, they all must stop and check in at this post. Each visitor is asked if he or she has any drugs, alcohol, or weapons. Police and law enforcement officials secure their weapons here. Private citizens and visitors, even with concealed carry permits, are not permitted to bring guns on the premises. There are many signs posted prohibiting these and other items, and saying that all vehicles are subject to search.

If any contraband is found, the person carrying it is denied access to the grounds for that day. Occasionally, random searches are conducted by the prison SRT team. If and when any contraband items are found, the local police or state police are called and the carriers are subsequently arrested. Their visitation rights are either suspended or completely denied for up to a year. Even then, the person must apply to the warden for permission to visit.

Even when police come in to drop off or pick up prisoners, their vehicles are searched, because of all the weapons they carry: rifles, pistols, ammo, and tear gas or pepper sprays. All weapons must all be checked in and secured at this post.

As the many visitors arrive, they are asked if they have any of the above-mentioned prohibited items. Their response is usually the same: no. Some are spot-checked just to be sure. The volume of traffic on weekends and holidays is high, and a lot of cars come in bringing visitors.

In addition to checking all vehicles, prison guards check all visitors visually to make sure they conform to the dress code, which they all received a copy of at some time during their loved one’s first week of incarceration. This is just a visual check, as they will be more thoroughly checked by the front desk officer.

After all, it is a men’s prison. No tank tops, no bare midriffs, no showing of cleavage, no short shorts, and no short skirts. Shorts and skirts cannot be higher than six inches above the knee, and if it’s close, it’s measured. If it does