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Jailhouse Justice: A Correctional Officer’s Unforgettable Encounter
Life Inside the Walls: When Protocol Meets Reality
Working as a Correctional Officer (CO) in a county jail is far from a desk job. It’s a world where every interaction can be unpredictable, and the line between order and chaos is constantly being managed. While inmates might sometimes challenge officers to one-on-one fights, the reality of correctional work is that COs operate as a unified front. “We’re not here to fight you one-on-one. We’re here to jump you,” one CO candidly explains, highlighting the team-oriented approach to maintaining control.
His personal philosophy on confrontations is clear: he’s not there to prove himself or get hurt; he’s there to go home. However, if an inmate pushes the boundaries to the point where a physical response is necessary, that response will be decisive and impactful. “If I got to prove myself to you, then I’ma prove it, it’s gonna hurt you.”
The Day It Went Down: A Routine Check Goes Awry
The scene was a typical day in E-block, a lower level of the county jail with eight cells. Part of the daily routine involves letting detainees out for their “personal time” – about an hour where they can walk around. For the CO, this means opening a gate, letting them out, and then conducting regular “board checks” or walk-throughs, similar to the Q15 or Q30 checks in a medical setting. These checks involve hitting a wand on a wall-mounted device, which beeps to confirm the check.
On this particular day, after completing his check at the end of the hallway, the CO turned around to find one of the inmates missing from his designated area. A quick scan revealed the inmate had ventured out into an unauthorized zone. The CO, relatively new to the job, instantly felt the panic set in.
The Chase, The Punch, and The E-Cigs
As the CO ran back towards the front, he realized the inmate was trying to beat him there. The motive? The CO had inadvertently left some e-cigs on the counter, and the inmate, seeing an opportunity, was attempting a quick grab-and-stash. Other detainees, witnessing the unfolding drama, began banging on their windows, trying to alert the CO to the inmate’s intentions.
The inmate rounded a corner, startling the CO. In a split-second reaction, the CO delivered a swift punch to the inmate’s face. “It was real quick,” he recounts, describing how the inmate, an older white male, immediately collapsed. Despite feeling a pang of guilt for hitting him so hard, the CO admits his adrenaline was pumping so intensely that he felt his fist went straight through the inmate’s face.
Furious, the CO yelled at the inmate, demanding to know why he was out of his area. The inmate’s jumpsuit, now noticeably bulging, confirmed his illicit haul of e-cigs. The CO confiscated the contraband, then, in a moment of raw frustration and disregard for procedure, picked the inmate up by his jumpsuit, gave him a “wedgie,” and unceremoniously threw him back into his cell area.
Protocol Broken, Justice Served?
In the heat of the moment, the CO admits he forgot every safety protocol he’d learned – handcuffing, securing the inmate, everything. He had simply hit him, knocked him down, and physically returned him to his designated space. Fearing the worst, he anticipated being fired for his actions.
However, when he reported the incident to his sergeant, the outcome was far from what he expected. The sergeant reviewed the surveillance tape, and to the CO’s astonishment, declared, “Oh man, you good, everything you did was justified.” The sergeant even went further, noting the inmate’s unauthorized movement and proximity to items like ink pens, stating, “You should have beat his ass some more!” The CO, surprised they only questioned if he hit him once, realized the gravity and unique realities of his job. This incident, while chaotic, solidified his understanding that “shit was real” and surprisingly, made him appreciate the job even more.
Disclaimer: The info in this article may or may not be true. This was taken from a conversation from The Grind It Up Podcast and should not be used as your reliable news source but rather entertainment.
This info can be found in this episode of The Grind It Up Podcast
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