Prison guards in Florida accused of murder plot

Correctional officer, prison guard,screws, depending upon which side of the iron bars you reside on, the name will vary. Above all, Correctional Officer is a probably not a dream job. Your life might certainly be in danger each and every shift you work. You make sure that the rules are followed.

 If you are serving time in prison, life is uniquely more complicated, gangs, drugs, and a typical disdain of being bothered in different varying degrees, all take there toll on anyone's sanity. Prisons or correctional facilities as they are now known, are at any one time a powder keg. It requires very little to cause a spark. There are another set of rules of which the prisoners must follow, and they are not laid out by the state. They are unwritten but must be obeyed without fail. The penalties incurred could mean your life.

What does it require from a job application view point to be a correctional officer? Do you need any college? It depends on who you work for. Some facilities require coursework in behavior sciences, but most require only a high school diploma, a drivers license and no felony convictions. Mental and emotional stability would also be a requirement. Officers must also be physically capable to defend themselves. You must be at least 18 years of age or in some states 21 to apply for the position.
There are schools that teach the profession.

In Florida, and quite recently, 3 men who worked for the Florida State Prison system were arrested for plotting to kill an inmate that had bit one of them. As it turns out the men were all members of the Traditionalist knights of the Ku-Klux-Klan. This poses an interesting problem for the State of Florida. Back ground checks used for employment will not uncover such affiliations, unless the Ku Klux Klan starts actively reporting their associations. I doubt this is going to happen anytime soon. The problem becomes more complicated simply because you can be reasonable sure this led to preferential treatment of their incarcerated brothers and more abuse to those prisoners not traditional members of the Klan.

Every job has it's difficulties but when racial bias gets thrown into the mix, the difficulties are compounded. The states will always have the problem of filtering out unethical and morally questionable attitudes. The inmates do not wish to be in prison(generally speaking) and most people would not find being a correctional officer a fantastic job. I based this analysis on another generality; great pay, nice, friendly atmosphere, In this environment only the strong survive. It is the attitude of the strong that should worry us.

The three correctional officers under arrest, might soon have a unique perspective of this complexity, as they could soon be required to spend time at this same facility on a more permanent basis.

Dearen, J. (2015, April 3). MSN/News. (A. P., Producer) Retrieved April 3, 2015, from MSN: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/informant-posing-as-klan-hit-man-leads-to-prison-guard-bust/

Job Requirements for State and Federal Correctional Officers. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2015, from Correctional Officer EDU.org: http://www.correctionalofficeredu.org/correctional-officer-requirements/