Edit 1: Hey I'm gonna call it quits. Thanks guys for all the questions. It got to the point where it was too negative and to many Epstein questions. Thank you!

Edit 2: Thanks for all the other COs helping answer questions with me!

Edit 3: Also thanks for all the former inmates that helped with this as well.

FAQ: Male prison. Florida. Idk about OITNB. Epstein....I plead the Fifth.

Comments: 2181 • Responses: 85  • Date: 

xKenpachiPRx2019 karma

What’s the weirdest thing you have found up an Inmate’s butt?

brutalbuddy913371 karma

A galaxy note 8. Took him 3 hours to get it out.

xKenpachiPRx1034 karma

Horizontally or vertically?? Lol thanks for answering btw.

brutalbuddy911546 karma

Lol idk my Sergeant retrieved it.

trekie881632 karma

If you were given a blank check to reform the prison system what changes would you make and why?

brutalbuddy912214 karma

Officers more pay. And more programs and better education for inmates to explore their interests so that when they get out they have all the tools ready to not come back. And better working facilities. We have 4 maintenance civilians that fix something broken all day everyday.

twotimefind330 karma

[deleted]

brutalbuddy91547 karma

We do but the civilians are there to teach them and supervise them.

bazzaretta1237 karma

Do upstanding/peaceful inmates receive a special treatment?

brutalbuddy912527 karma

Kinda in a way yeah. Like me for instance if a inmate is really respectful and genuine about it if he asks me to charge his tablet during the day (they are only supposed to be charged at night) I might do it if I get a chance. I do it to show the other inmates that I can work with them if they are respectful.

fusionfaller978 karma

Inmates get tablets now? Is there an internet connection too?

brutalbuddy911271 karma

Yeah and no it's based off a kiosk system they hook it up to if they want anything new on it.

Circa923842 karma

What do they do with the tablets? DO they load games and ebooks onto them or something?

brutalbuddy911135 karma

Exactly what you said and music

PumpkinParade1130 karma

I’m a therapist who works with sex offenders. In your experience, how are they typically treated by the other inmates? How do the sex offenders behave in prison?

Bacon221221612 karma

Not OP, but I am a corrections deputy. They are not treated well. If other inmates find out about their charges we usually have to move them to protective custody. In my experience, S.O. inmates behave relatively well for the most part. Usually quiet and playing table games with other S.O. inmates.

brutalbuddy911189 karma

Hit the nail on the head

larz0800 karma

People think it’s a sure thing that child abusers will get taken out once they get to prison. Is that true? Also, how would the other inmates find out what that person is in for?

brutalbuddy911089 karma

They will most likely get beaten up but rarely killed. And when they make phone calls they ask someone on the outside to look it up since it's all public info especially since they're a predator.

daman4567345 karma

Aren't the calls monitored to keep this from happening?

brutalbuddy91573 karma

Yeah but they aren't intercepted at that point in time. Someone reviews that later at night and that's how they find out about anything dumb they might be trying to do.

PlatypusDisciple730 karma

Is prison rape as common as most people think?

brutalbuddy911061 karma

Not really. ALOT of them lie about because we treat it with such seriousness and gets another inmate into trouble and into confinement immediatley.

reebokpumps435 karma

Wouldn’t a prisoner have to be insane to lie about being raped considering the stigma it carries?

brutalbuddy91668 karma

They all know it's a game so really no stigma.

reebokpumps249 karma

Did you say you work at a transfer prison where people don’t stay for very long? I read a comment but can’t find it again.

brutalbuddy91252 karma

Yeah I do.

brutalbuddy91552 karma

I didn't clarify before you sue is. Medical staff was down there with him getting it out and it was HANDED/RETRIEVED to the Sergeant for evidence and a report

CarnationVamp528 karma

My older brother has recently been sentenced to prison for about 10 years. Any advice I should give him about making the best of his situation?

brutalbuddy91151 karma

Sorry I saw this earlier but I couldn't find it til now. But just to take advantage of everything the prison offers that can help him. And just to overall improve himself. Fat? Work out and get healthy! No high school diploma? Get his GED!

idolatryforbeginners429 karma

in the podcast 'ear hustle' which is dope, they talk about racial segregation as just default. The exception, if I remember correctly, being the inmates who play the game DND. Are there programs or efforts to encourage racial integration, or is it just a matter of course?

brutalbuddy91512 karma

Really just a matter of course. Now when I say that they are plenty of inmates that don't care about racial segregation. But whenever it comes to a fight or brawl they will side with their race 99% of the time.

CopaceticGeek200 karma

Where do the Asians go? Do they have their own group or do they end up with another race?

brutalbuddy91499 karma

Lol legit I have seen like 10 Asians the 7 years I been there

M-lifts414 karma

How is the food they give the inmates, do you get the leftovers?

brutalbuddy91440 karma

It's not that bad for the most part. And no I bring my own stuff.

StrengthBuilder364 karma

What's the most heartbreaking experience you've had?

brutalbuddy911147 karma

Having a good friend of mine kill himself because his wife that worked at the same prison was having sexual relations with a couple of inmates.

retracted255 karma

Are there ample opportunities for staff to engage with inmates in this way? Seems like that'd be difficult in such a crowded and controlled environment.

brutalbuddy91327 karma

You would be suprised.

ssjAWSUM51 karma

How was the wife treated? What was her reaction?

brutalbuddy91174 karma

She went to jail for a little while and didn't seem to care.

runningaway412364 karma

Does your facility sell the whole shabang chips? If so have you tried them?

brutalbuddy91320 karma

Yeah they do and no I haven't but the inmates sat they are really good.

runningaway412194 karma

You really should try to get a bag. They are like sex in a bag.

brutalbuddy91214 karma

Lol I might have to tax one and try it.

Jumlee77323 karma

How is it as a career? Pay, benefits, environment, rewards, etc?

zbeezle836 karma

Depends on the jurisdiction, but overall, likely not bad. Where I live (NY), state COs start out at like 55k a year, with various ways to bump it up (location pay, hazard pay, and a shitload of overtime available). My state also does this thing where when you retire after 25 years, they take the beat 3 of your last 5 years, average them out, and that's your annual pension for the rest of your life. And since most COs are in their early 20s when they get hired, they end up with a 70-90k pension for life by 50 years old. State insurance and shit is also pretty good, here.

Environment... well, it's a prison.

brutalbuddy91372 karma

Pretty on point

Jumlee7798 karma

What education is usually required?

brutalbuddy91186 karma

High school where I'm at.

Ramen_14287 karma

Has any celebrity been an inmate where you work?

brutalbuddy91937 karma

That wide neck dude that everybody made neck memes about came through for a couple weeks and transfered.

brutalbuddy9146 karma

Lol you found him

powersnake243 karma

What is something that you think the general public does not know or understand about your job, or prison in general?

brutalbuddy91348 karma

It's not as bad or dramatic as people make it. As long as you're fair and consistent and don't let them walk over you then you will be fine. Inmates respect the staff that have time in.

PURKITTY175 karma

How much incoming mail gets read? (I send my nephew letters about Pokémon and grocery shopping and books I’m reading.) Do they skip over the boring letters from the Aunts?

brutalbuddy91216 karma

Everything. Multiple times.

lemontreats31 karma

How often do hidden codes or code words get found in letters?

brutalbuddy9145 karma

Not sure I don't sort through the mail but a t the very least it's a good amount.

DiscoNachos168 karma

What type of leadership development opportunities are there in this field after the academy?

brutalbuddy91194 karma

They are everywhere tbh. You just have to be willing to move to a bunch of different prison if you want to rank up quick. Or put in the work and bide your time if you don't want to leave ur facility.

Missworldmissheard167 karma

I’m curious about how you keep prison life from bleeding into regular life? Lots of CO’s in my family and one family member in particular got to the point where she treated her kids like inmates.

Also I’m sorry it this has already been asked, but have you worked more often with male or female populations?

brutalbuddy91250 karma

I treat others as they want to be treated and my wife is very understanding. She will let me come home and take a nice long shower to decompress and have dinner ready for me. It's a team effort really. Males

mcr-G-note151 karma

What's something you wish would change about the prison system?

brutalbuddy91207 karma

The way the administration treats us. They act like since they ared way above rank that they're poop don't stink and it feels like I'm not on the same team as them.

youshouldwanttoknow74 karma

I'm a nurse and it's the same with our chain of command. Got an amazing satisfying story for you tho:

We had this patient who was a "Poo-casso" (aka smearing it all over his walls), and obviously the smell was disturbing everyone, but he refused to come out to shower and give an opportunity to clean the cell. The complaint goes up the chain with each level basically going "can't safely do anything about it," until it reaches one of the Associate Wardens, who orders a team to use force to remove him from the cell and lock him in a shower until he complies. EVERYONE (all levels of custody, medical and mental health, even random inmates who heard the plan) is saying that it's a terrible idea, but Poo-casso is going to submit to the AW's authority, damn it!

So the plan goes down as ordered, and now the guy is doing the same thing except now he's in the shower (and that building only has 4).

Everyone: "Now what, AW? *cough cough* Told ya so! *cough*"

AW: Which building? Poo-casso WILL submit to my authority after I speak to him!

...And then the AW got lots of poo flung at him. The end! :D

brutalbuddy9121 karma

OH LAWD! XD

obtrae134 karma

Okay, who's the dirty CO supplying drugs to inmates for cash on the side and how hard is it to report such things?

brutalbuddy91131 karma

Idk and not hard if able to find out.

gallowboobfanclub134 karma

Do officers get into it with the inmates?

brutalbuddy91176 karma

Oh yeah. Shouting matches for the most part.

gallowboobfanclub85 karma

Is it a battle to get the inmates to follow the rules?

brutalbuddy91123 karma

Some of them. About a good 10% .

Its_scary_how_I126 karma

I've been a Correctional Officer for 9 years. You doing this AMA while at work? Boring job....

brutalbuddy91137 karma

Lol no and yes and it is very boring.

saintsfanatic123113 karma

Worst physical altercation you've seen between an officer (maybe yourself) and an inmate?

brutalbuddy91213 karma

An inmate beat the dog shit out of an officer out of nowhere cuz he was high on k2. And no the officer is not an asshole.

DrCster108 karma

Have you ever met someone you genuinely believed to be innocent/wrongfully convicted?

brutalbuddy91377 karma

Yeah. An inmate is in prison for life because some POS raped his 5 year old daughter and he killed them. He is a very stand up person.

Dbleic01100 karma

What level prison do you work at? Do you see more fights at the higher level? Have you been in a fight with a inmate?

brutalbuddy91137 karma

It's a psych camp. And fights happen about a t least once a week. And yeah pushed me up against the wall and I eventually got him down but he socked real good on the side of my head.

KappaDoglike89 karma

Rare AMA that is not actually a self promotion or advertising, love it! Do you ever go deep in thought about what would it be like if you had a different job?

brutalbuddy91127 karma

All the time and I'm actually going to school right now for Software Developer.

trio_101286 karma

What if am inmate required a service dog? What is it like for them, do they get to have there dog with them or are they sent to a special prison?

brutalbuddy91113 karma

They are assigned inmates as helpers.

BoyMeetsWorldBoy86 karma

What are some of the worst things you've seen in prison?

brutalbuddy91201 karma

I remember coming onto shift one night and I look over to the eight and on the top tier the inmate had a razor stuck in the foreskin of his penis and finally got it out and cut his sack open and handed his testicales when I finally came up there to relieve the other officer.

pretty-tony84 karma

Any insight on what it's like to work as a cook at a facility? My brother is considering taking jobs as a supervising cook at both federal and state level facilities.

brutalbuddy91112 karma

I actually work in food service and work with a civilian back there and it's not bad just to be headstrong and not be dirty.

64b0r81 karma

How did you land this job at such a young age?

brutalbuddy91111 karma

Just apply. In Florida they can hire 18yo. When I started it was 19.

SimpleSteve5502174 karma

I've spent about 5 years on and off as an inmate,

Have you ever had anyone put peanut butter in there was cheeks before a strip search just to fuck with you?

brutalbuddy9187 karma

Lol no but sometimes I'll joke with the staff and inmates stuff that would be hilarious in those situations.

Silthoras73 karma

Do you think that prisoners come back to prison so fast due to not enough help/tools in prisons or due to the stigma outside that no one wants to employ you ect when they are outside?

brutalbuddy9171 karma

I think it's both tbh.

LifeofSteven68 karma

How often do you have your life threatened by inmates?

brutalbuddy91113 karma

At least once a week

millertime36965 karma

are the jits worse than the adults?

brutalbuddy9199 karma

No most of the time they are really intimidated by the whole prison aspect unless they have been in and out already at a young age.

sparkysparkyboom62 karma

I volunteered with the chaplain as a mentor to the inmates. During my orientation led by a correctional officer, I was quite taken aback at how pessimistic her view of the inmates were. She had come in as a cheerful, optimistic mentor two decades prior, but since, has the view that the inmates are always scheming, always out to get something from the kind-hearted people who want to help, and she discouraged us from any relationships with them, even after they've completely served their time (she recommends crossing the street if seeing them walk towards us). I'm not sure where I stand between punitive and rehabilitative justice, nor am I one of those people that constantly sees the good in everyone, but her attitude seemed way too down. Is your experience the same as hers? Ultimately, I want to help these guys however I can, but that's hard if I follow what she says about purposely keeping my distance. I do understand that to some degree, barriers and hierarchy are necessary so that isn't lost to me.

brutalbuddy9162 karma

You have to head her warning but at the same time just legit help them.ALOT want help but don't get it.

alphaphoenicis53 karma

I read that depression is common among correctional officers. How do you think your job affects your mental health and do you have any recommendations for maintaining a good mental health?

brutalbuddy9187 karma

Yeah I suffered from that and a short temper when I started working there. But the prison will give you 5 free sessions with a therapist with the Employee Assitance Program. Also having a good hobby to decompress with. And seeing how you can use this place as a footstool to something better

mikepool198647 karma

Former CO here, what state? Private, federal, or state? What are the biggest issues at your facility?

brutalbuddy9185 karma

Florida. State. Staffing and Administration not giving a damn and mandatory overtime.

john_eh45 karma

What's the most tempting bribe you were ever offered?

brutalbuddy9174 karma

I haven't been offered yet cuz I made my stance known that I'm not foe it.

pir8r28 karma

[deleted]

brutalbuddy9170 karma

How chill the majority of inmates are. And how manipulating they can be.

2TallScorpio27 karma

What's your favourite colour?

brutalbuddy91101 karma

Finally I've been waiting for this question....green

IWasBornSoYoung21 karma

Do you feel guilty when you break laws yourself?

brutalbuddy9144 karma

I don't break any (I speed a little while driving so sue me).

PracticalJokester18 karma

How many people did you catch diddling their fiddle on late night head counts? No pun intended.

brutalbuddy9142 karma

This one guy was beating his meat like it owed him money and I walked up and he pulled the covers over him and started reading his magazine

Ulysses8914 karma

What did you rank in the FScale?

brutalbuddy9126 karma

Just an officer. Never had a desire to move up. More freedom for other cushy positions.

El-Panson11 karma

Ever brought anything into your facility to sell? I was a free staff in a Cali Prison for about 5 yrs, I ended up getting caught bringing in phones and tobacco and had to do some time because of it. You live and you learn.

brutalbuddy9115 karma

Nope never. Too chicken shit to do lol.

SpaceBatAngelDragon11 karma

How close to reality is "Orange is the new Black"?

brutalbuddy9129 karma

Never seen it or worked at a female institution. So idk really. Sorry.

obviousillusion9 karma

Is the job worthwhile? I'm certified in Florida, just trying to get a job.

brutalbuddy9120 karma

It is cuz you get 2 free classes a semester for college, great insurance, great pension, but the pay could be better but that's what promotion is for.

BodoFreeman7 karma

How did you get your position at seven years of age? That's impressive.

brutalbuddy917 karma

Lol I hate you

FatherOfTheSkye6 karma

Do you recommend becoming one? I have been considering it for some time now. I have a half way decent job, but not much for benefits especially long term, so becoming a CO looks very enticing.

Also, do you get along with the other guards? Or does everyone keep to themselves?

TY

brutalbuddy919 karma

I would but you really need to know what you want out of it before you do it. And it's a family environment

bloodyboppa5 karma

What gangs are most prevelant in your institution if any? I'm a Parole Officer with a gang caseload.

brutalbuddy916 karma

When I first started mainly Latin kings. But we fazed them out here and them. Now it's mainly white gangs like Arean Brotherhood and some small black gangs.

Meeseeks821 karma

Do you think Epstein killed himself?

brutalbuddy910 karma

Lulz no comment.

o-o-o-o-o-o0 karma

What is your honest opinion of Jeffrey Epstein’s death? Do you think prisoner suicide under his conditions is believable?

brutalbuddy9112 karma

Yeah I do. I mean a billionaire that lost everything? Makes me suicidal