IAmA worker with 10 months of experience as a corrections officer in a county jail. As requested, AMA.

Have you seen any "innocent" men? As in, people that just don't look like they could be guilty of anything. Based on what they say to you, and how they conduct themselves, especially when no one is looking. Or do they all seem a little fishy?

Everyone's attitude is different, and it's all circumstantial. I worked with an inmate who was transferred to our jail from a prison, and when I booked him I had to take a photograph of his swastika tattoo. That being said, he was the most respectful inmate in the jail at the time and caused zero problems while he was there. He was just doing what he had to do to get out and get his life back together.

On the other hand, there was a relatively normal older guy who would talk about transcending the flesh and being one with Jesus in one breath, then curse you like a drunken sailor the next.

Guilt or innocence is not something that's regularly discussed, at least not where I worked. Everyone knows they're there, one way or another, and they typically have an idea of when they're gonna leave, be it sooner or later. There are guys who are willing to admit to what they did and they'll even tell you the story, and there are guys who just don't talk about it all. There were only a very few people who claimed innocence, and they were usually people only staying overnight for being drunk.

Would you rather fight 100 duck sized horses or 1 horse sized duck?

One horsed-sized duck. Toe to toe in the middle of a cell.

Okay, flipper, if you like.

I think you and Ah-nald are the only ones to answer that way.

Oh, and thanks for answering questions. I was considering going into Corrections, but based on some of your answers, I think it'd be better if I avoided the environment.

Maybe, maybe not. I imagine the experience can be vastly different based on a number of variable factors: location, size of the community, structure of the department, budget, etc. I don't mean to make it sound like it can't be a fulfilling career; it just wasn't for me.

Have you had any run-ins with mafia-type people(bloods, crips, mexican, italian, irish)? Were they somewhat good hearted and overrun by the game? I watch too much of The Wire, clearly.

Had a couple of Aryan nation guys, but both of them were the type who ended up going to prison and just did what they had to do to survive once they got there. One of them was probably the most respectful inmate I ever worked with. The other was kind of a dick, but I don't believe he was actually any kind of racist.

Are there, or have you seen romantic relationships between inmates?

Haven't seen anything like that, no. We did house a mother, a father and their daughter all at the same time for a while, though. And the daughter was the ex-fiance of another inmate who was also there at the same time. I would imagine things could have gotten kinky pretty quickly had there not been several feet of concrete separating them at all times.

What were they all in for? Something together or separate crimes?

Separate crimes, all drug-related.

Proof?

I sent it to the mods and I'm waiting on a response here.

Edit: Still working on the proof. Sending a second image at the request of the mods, hopefully it'll be verified soon.

Edit II: Verified.

What are all the things you've seen crafted out of normal everyday stuff?

You see the caulking from windows all over the place. In my jail it was gooey black shit, and they pulled it from the creases in the windows and used it to stick photos of their family on the walls. I've seen inmates use chip bags and paper to create all sort of things, kind of like origami. Little shoes, crosses with patterned designs, paper roses with paper stems colored with watery ink from pens they've managed to steal, all kinds of cool stuff.

What kind of experience does one need to become a CO? Is the pay good? Why do you do it?

I didn't need any experience. It's a small town and the pay is shit, so if there happens to be an opening they just sort of take any person who shows interest in the job.

I did it for a number of reasons. I had to come to this state for personal reasons that were unavoidable, I had to find a job in the local area which has an extremely limited market, and when I first heard about it I took it as a challenge. People who know me thought I wouldn't be able to do it. I wasn't even sure if I could do it myself, but I did.