Prison ain't so bad...

[uniFIGHTuniFIGHT]

Why are they treated better than our homeless?

They're not treated better than our homeless. I think there are probably a lot of prisoners who wish they could walk around town and beg. We could probably do more for our homeless, though.

I believe only Playboy.

They're getting rid of the nudes. You'd better get busy finding the guy who has to break the news so you don't have to.

 

[IMCC965]

They're not treated better than our homeless. I think there are probably a lot of prisoners who wish they could walk around town and beg. We could probably do more for our homeless, though.



They're getting rid of the nudes. You'd better get busy finding the guy who has to break the news so you don't have to.

That has been a subject of contention around the joint. Not sure what they're going to do.

 

[naturalmwa]

That has been a subject of contention around the joint. Not sure what they're going to do.

For real you should take advantage of this opportunity. Call all the porn publishers and have them compete to be Iowa's official jailhouse spank mag. Get some perks. Don't leave my people out.

 

[IMCC965]

For real you should take advantage of this opportunity. Call all the porn publishers and have them compete to be Iowa's official jailhouse spank mag. Get some perks. Don't leave my people out.

Love your enthusiasm. Not sure they'd appreciate me being an advocate for gay porn. What do you think? LOL.

 

[THE_DEVIL]

No, it would take care of the COs, which would mean we lose out on IMCC's wisdom.

I'll take things I never thought I'd hear on hrot, for $1000 Alex.

 

[naturalmwa]

Love your enthusiasm. Not sure they'd appreciate me being an advocate for gay porn. What do you think? LOL.

I'll testify. Think of all the advantages if we replaced riots with orgies. Make love, not crime. Ben Carson tells me all people in prison are gay anyway and Iowa likes him.

 

[uniFIGHTuniFIGHT]

Love your enthusiasm. Not sure they'd appreciate me being an advocate for gay porn. What do you think? LOL.

Nevermind "they." You have a chance to be an advocate for equality in the prison system. I'd think the "gay for the stay" stuff would be curtailed by female nudies and ingenious prison sex-toy inventions. But some actual gay people are criminals too and they're not all natural doms who'd enjoy breaking down and taking a straight man. I'd think they'd want to fantasize about a Playgirl model actually desiring them.

 

[uniFIGHTuniFIGHT]

I'll take things I never thought I'd hear on hrot, for $1000 Alex.

I love this side of IMCC. He has a full-time perspective on one of the biggest domestic issues in this country. I'm happy to shrug at another another thousand of the cat-memes and Hillary-memes he's been known to post. Those just prove he's a real guy living his life with his own thoughts about things. I love hearing more about the prison system from someone who works there.

BTW IMCC, I was once an unsupervised "ward" of the Iowa DOC. I minded my P&Q's and pissed clean, and I'm fascinated by how you talk about your work. I'm not trying to put you out-of-business, but I'm a criminal-justice reform guy and I'd like to know more about what you think about how we lock people up in this country. Do you see a lot of people who really don't need to be traditionally imprisoned? Have you seen any trends of less serious reprobates in your time? What would you like to see?

 

[IMCC965]

Nevermind "they." You have a chance to be an advocate for equality in the prison system. I'd think the "gay for the stay" stuff would be curtailed by female nudies and ingenious prison sex-toy inventions. But some actual gay people are criminals too and they're not all natural doms who'd enjoy breaking down and taking a straight man. I'd think they'd want to fantasize about a Playgirl model actually desiring them.

I understand your point, I really do, however, advocating for anything "sex related" in reference to prison matters is not a good thing. Especially for a staff member. Suspicion does have its place there, and that would bring the eyes of the front office down on me hard.

Keeping a relative low-profile, regardless of who you are or what you do, is usually a good thing in that environment.

 

[naturalmwa]

I understand your point, I really do, however, advocating for anything "sex related" in reference to prison matters is not a good thing. Especially for a staff member. Suspicion does have its place there, and that would bring the eyes of the front office down on me hard.

Keeping a relative low-profile, regardless of who you are or what you do, is usually a good thing in that environment.

Down on ya hard huh? You don't say.

 

[uniFIGHTuniFIGHT]

Keeping a relative low-profile, regardless of who you are or what you do, is usually a good thing in that environment.

Same deal in a large corporate environment. Very little incentive to be pushy about things you know to be true when the model is in place for the peons and the people already working for the company are assumed to be supportive because they're compliant because they need their paycheck.

 

[IMCC965]

I love this side of IMCC. He has a full-time perspective on one of the biggest domestic issues in this country. I'm happy to shrug at another another thousand of the cat-memes and Hillary-memes he's been known to post. Those just prove he's a real guy living his life with his own thoughts about things. I love hearing more about the prison system from someone who works there.

BTW IMCC, I was once an unsupervised "ward" of the Iowa DOC. I minded my P&Q's and pissed clean, and I'm fascinated by how you talk about your work. I'm not trying to put you out-of-business, but I'm a criminal-justice reform guy and I'd like to know more about what you think about how we lock people up in this country. Do you see a lot of people who really don't need to be traditionally imprisoned? Have you seen any trends of less serious reprobates in your time? What would you like to see?

I'll be up front with all of you on this matter. When I started my career with DOC as a Corrections Officer at Anamosa in 1997, I was one of those "kick ass and take name" type of guys. After four years I had to step back and reevaluate myself because I was having bad thoughts and doing some bad things after work. I found myself angry ALL THE TIME. It was pretty bad. I finally interviewed and took a job with CCUSO at IMCC when it first started. It's now in Cherokee, Iowa. Civil Commitment Unit for Sex Offenders.

I came back to IMCC after living in Virginia and getting out of the active military and got hired on as a Corrections Officer again in order to get my foot in the door. I got promoted to my current job three months after I started. I won't tell you what I do because that would reveal a lot more about me then I want to give out. You can all understand that.

Since the revamp of IMCC and how people are trained, it's opened my eyes to how I should have been viewing things all along. There are some real pieces of work that just don't give a crap what they do and to whom they do it. Those guys you have to deal with on a daily basis and you learn to tolerate them. But there are quite a few guys who've made poor decisions because they were never brought up to make good ones. The want to straighten their lives out and become productive members of society. You can tell because they actually use the word "victim" when referring to their crimes. You can sense they fell horrible about what they did and want nothing more than to have a do-over if it were possible. Empathy is powerful feeling and it goes a long way.

So, to answer your questions, yes, I see A LOT of people that don't need to be in prison. They need guidance by a professional and a second chance to prove they can do the right thing. Family needs to be emphasized as well as a structured life-style and how to constructively occupy their time outside of work. They need to learn to choose their friends wisely and learn to say "no" more than "yes".

What is happening quite frequently now is parole violations. Guys coming back to finish out their sentences because they can't stay out of trouble. I also think that many parole violations can be eased. Coming in late to the half-way house will get you sent back to prison for the rest of your time, some times months, some times years. Others are justified but a lot aren't, in my opinion. I think their needs to be more community-based DOC programs where these guys can get guidance until they're comfortable doing it on their own or know what the heck they're doing when they get out. Perhaps a societal integration class before walking out the prison door? We don't have that and it's simply because of lack of cash and resources.

What would I like to see? I'd like to see non-violent crimes for individuals be given community service instead of sent to jail or prison. There are crimes that don't require prison time. Of course you are going to get your repeat offenders that just can't stay out of trouble by doing one petty crime after another, but many can be fined and given community work options through the county, city, or state.

Stressing family and group activities for potential troubled youth is also a start, but I swear I have no idea how to do that. That's a much deeper problem that underlies a lot of things wrong with today's society.

Anyway, I hope that answers some, if not all, your questions.

 

[The Tradition]

I'll be up front with all of you on this matter. When I started my career with DOC as a Corrections Officer at Anamosa in 1997, I was one of those "kick ass and take name" type of guys. After four years I had to step back and reevaluate myself because I was having bad thoughts and doing some bad things after work. I found myself angry ALL THE TIME. It was pretty bad. I finally interviewed and took a job with CCUSO at IMCC when it first started. It's now in Cherokee, Iowa. Civil Commitment Unit for Sex Offenders.

I came back to IMCC after living in Virginia and getting out of the active military and got hired on as a Corrections Officer again in order to get my foot in the door. I got promoted to my current job three months after I started. I won't tell you what I do because that would reveal a lot more about me then I want to give out. You can all understand that.

Since the revamp of IMCC and how people are trained, it's opened my eyes to how I should have been viewing things all along. There are some real pieces of work that just don't give a crap what they do and to whom they do it. Those guys you have to deal with on a daily basis and you learn to tolerate them. But there are quite a few guys who've made poor decisions because they were never brought up to make good ones. The want to straighten their lives out and become productive members of society. You can tell because they actually use the word "victim" when referring to their crimes. You can sense they fell horrible about what they did and want nothing more than to have a do-over if it were possible. Empathy is powerful feeling and it goes a long way.

So, to answer your questions, yes, I see A LOT of people that don't need to be in prison. They need guidance by a professional and a second chance to prove they can do the right thing. Family needs to be emphasized as well as a structured life-style and how to constructively occupy their time outside of work. They need to learn to choose their friends wisely and learn to say "no" more than "yes".

What is happening quite frequently now is parole violations. Guys coming back to finish out their sentences because they can't stay out of trouble. I also think that many parole violations can be eased. Coming in late to the half-way house will get you sent back to prison for the rest of your time, some times months, some times years. Others are justified but a lot aren't, in my opinion. I think their needs to be more community-based DOC programs where these guys can get guidance until they're comfortable doing it on their own or know what the heck they're doing when they get out. Perhaps a societal integration class before walking out the prison door? We don't have that and it's simply because of lack of cash and resources.

What would I like to see? I'd like to see non-violent crimes for individuals be given community service instead of sent to jail or prison. There are crimes that don't require prison time. Of course you are going to get your repeat offenders that just can't stay out of trouble by doing one petty crime after another, but many can be fined and given community work options through the county, city, or state.

Stressing family and group activities for potential troubled youth is also a start, but I swear I have no idea how to do that. That's a much deeper problem that underlies a lot of things wrong with today's society.

Anyway, I hope that answers some, if not all, your questions.

The "community work options" is a corrupt system of free labor. They're trotted out to all sorts of questionable organizations that get to take advantage of the the slave labor. Such work option should strictly benefit government, not churches, not non-profit groups, but actual public works.

 

[uniFIGHTuniFIGHT]

I'll be up front with all of you on this matter. When I started my career with DOC as a Corrections Officer at Anamosa in 1997, I was one of those "kick ass and take name" type of guys. After four years I had to step back and reevaluate myself because I was having bad thoughts and doing some bad things after work. I found myself angry ALL THE TIME. It was pretty bad. I finally interviewed and took a job with CCUSO at IMCC when it first started. It's now in Cherokee, Iowa. Civil Commitment Unit for Sex Offenders.

I came back to IMCC after living in Virginia and getting out of the active military and got hired on as a Corrections Officer again in order to get my foot in the door. I got promoted to my current job three months after I started. I won't tell you what I do because that would reveal a lot more about me then I want to give out. You can all understand that.

Since the revamp of IMCC and how people are trained, it's opened my eyes to how I should have been viewing things all along. There are some real pieces of work that just don't give a crap what they do and to whom they do it. Those guys you have to deal with on a daily basis and you learn to tolerate them. But there are quite a few guys who've made poor decisions because they were never brought up to make good ones. The want to straighten their lives out and become productive members of society. You can tell because they actually use the word "victim" when referring to their crimes. You can sense they fell horrible about what they did and want nothing more than to have a do-over if it were possible. Empathy is powerful feeling and it goes a long way.

So, to answer your questions, yes, I see A LOT of people that don't need to be in prison. They need guidance by a professional and a second chance to prove they can do the right thing. Family needs to be emphasized as well as a structured life-style and how to constructively occupy their time outside of work. They need to learn to choose their friends wisely and learn to say "no" more than "yes".

What is happening quite frequently now is parole violations. Guys coming back to finish out their sentences because they can't stay out of trouble. I also think that many parole violations can be eased. Coming in late to the half-way house will get you sent back to prison for the rest of your time, some times months, some times years. Others are justified but a lot aren't, in my opinion. I think their needs to be more community-based DOC programs where these guys can get guidance until they're comfortable doing it on their own or know what the heck they're doing when they get out. Perhaps a societal integration class before walking out the prison door? We don't have that and it's simply because of lack of cash and resources.

What would I like to see? I'd like to see non-violent crimes for individuals be given community service instead of sent to jail or prison. There are crimes that don't require prison time. Of course you are going to get your repeat offenders that just can't stay out of trouble by doing one petty crime after another, but many can be fined and given community work options through the county, city, or state.

Stressing family and group activities for potential troubled youth is also a start, but I swear I have no idea how to do that. That's a much deeper problem that underlies a lot of things wrong with today's society.

Anyway, I hope that answers some, if not all, your questions.

Thank you for taking the time to share that. A follow-up question, if you don't mind. How (if at all) did your military service affect your different views since you started in '97? Or was it mostly your experience in the prison system?

My bleeding heart struggles with the idea that non-violent offenders should pay the way they sometimes have to. I do think/acknowledge there are non-violent offenders who are criminals. I also think there are "crimes" that aren't crimes. Do you ever see any non-violent offenders who weren't a danger to anyone through their negligence, or are most non-violent people who are sentenced to actual time mostly people who need some supervised help (in your opinion, obviously)?

 

[uniFIGHTuniFIGHT]

The "community work options" is a corrupt system of free labor. They're trotted out to all sorts of questionable organizations that get to take advantage of the the slave labor. Such work option should strictly benefit government, not churches, not non-profit groups, but actual public works.

Excellent criticism if it's broadly true. Of course those prison systems are scum (my opinion). Probably not applicable to the DOC in Iowa. I think our prison industries mostly make school desks. I'm unsure of the whole truth on the matter, but if they do so and private industries benefit obscenely (WAY beyond cost), then that practice should be abolished and the people who invented it should be ostracized.

 

[SailorJerryHawk]

Anyone who has been married for more than 15 years understands.

I was married for 13 years the first go round.My 10 year anniversary to Mrs Jerry is in a few weeks.Any woman that can hang with the Sailor deserves my loyalty.I'm not perfect.No woman is either.

 

[theIowaHawk]

IMCC winning a thread, who'd a thunk.

I applaud you this week IMCC.

 

[The Tradition]

IMCC winning a thread, who'd a thunk.

I applaud you this week IMCC.

There is no "winning" on the internet. Only "playing."

 

[IMCC965]

Thank you for taking the time to share that. A follow-up question, if you don't mind. How (if at all) did your military service affect your different views since you started in '97? Or was it mostly your experience in the prison system?

My bleeding heart struggles with the idea that non-violent offenders should pay the way they sometimes have to. I do think/acknowledge there are non-violent offenders who are criminals. I also think there are "crimes" that aren't crimes. Do you ever see any non-violent offenders who weren't a danger to anyone through their negligence, or are most non-violent people who are sentenced to actual time mostly people who need some supervised help (in your opinion, obviously)?

Good question. I never really thought about how military service affected my views. If anything, I've used it empathize with offenders. I'm sure you know through HROT history (I know natural knows this) that I was deployed to an Iraqi oil platform for six months. Not a whole lot of room to move around and being with the same guys day in and day out. Crappy food, nothing to do, etc. etc. I tell certain offenders about this when I'm trying to get through to them if they're having problems or feeling bad. It gives them something to latch onto so I can we can "identify" with each other…….street cred, if you will. I also think that being able to approach an angry offender or one that needs a little "direction" is easier to accomplish because I've had to have difficult conversations in the military. It carries over.

Your assumptions are pretty accurate about non-violent offenders. A lot of drug guys will tell you they don't have any victims, but I can assure you their families don't feel that way. Serious drug offenders commit some violent crimes to satisfy their habits. Obviously there are varying degrees of drug usage, but the serious drug users often commit robberies, theft, assault, and other crimes that do create multiple victims. Guys that have small amounts of marijuana and get sentenced really aren't a problem. Many "new" offenders are young guys that have never had ANY direction in their lives. They bounce around from jail to jail, or foster home to foster home, snowballing their crimes until they do something that forces the justice system to send them to prison. I see it all the time. Starts out small, maybe stealing a coke from Kum and Go and ends up in a robbery using a weapon. So to answer your question, it varies from offender to offender. Supervised help would benefit some based on their background and upbringing, and others wouldn't have the desire nor the discipline to allow themselves to be guided.

 

[Daggerfoot]

Lobster is far superior to crab as a food source. The work required to eat crab negates the energy obtained.

I'd like to address this point...now while I agree that lobster is better tasting...it's super easy to catch most types of crab (it's not all Deadliest Catch out there). For instance, I drop crab pots for Dungeness recreationally, go commercial fishing for the day for Halibut...then I just pick them up the next morning with an electric pot hauler and I've got 30 pounds of fresh crab, every time...couldn't be easier.