Corrections_Today_Fall_2025_Vol.87_No.3

BOOKSHELF

of times, the motel owner called the probation office and said it was strange because they knew she was an inmate. It was the custom of the Bureau to contact the probation officer every time a person went on a furlough. After a few times, the motel contacted the probation of fice, who contacted the institutional case manager. That is when I got involved. The Office of Professional Responsibility sent an agent to the town where the inmate and the staff member were meeting. In short or der, the motel staff identified the AW and the inmate in a photo lineup. Luckily for the AW, this was during a time when sex cases were rarely prosecuted, but he was fired. Can you imagine giving up a $ 50,000-a year job in the early 1980s? The second case occurred about 15 years later; we learned a female staff mem ber had set up a” business” on the compound. We developed as much of an air-tight case as possible with out allowing inappropriate behavior to occur. The FBI concurred we had enough to arrest the staff member, but the U. S. Attorney’s office said it was not possible for a female staff member to “rape” a male inmate. My regional director got involved, but the First Assistant would not allow the FBI to arrest and charge. Because this institution did not have concurrent jurisdiction where either the feds or the state could prosecute, we were dead in the water. The last sex case was when a male correc tional counselor violated five female mental health inmates. This case had a positive result from a pros ecutorial standpoint, with the staff member being prosecuted and doing 15 years. But his behavior, of course,

put a blight on the institution, as he was well-liked. All of these cases illustrate what Mr. Palmer said. I thought Mr. Palmer had guts in presenting his emotions about staff corruption. Of course, Palmer is now retired, but he lives in the same Kentucky community. Changes inside and out In the epilogue of the second book, Mr. Palmer posits that being a correctional officer can destroy your life. He reminds all of us that even in small communities where pris ons are often the largest employer in town, most do not know or want to know what goes on inside the prison. I think this is a bit cynical, but true. The aspect I hope happens some day is for legislatures to ap preciate all who put of the uniform. People like officers and nurses who work to keep you, the public and inmates safe and meeting the Con stitutional guarantees of health care. I thought this question summed up most correctional workers come to realize. He was asked if prison changed him. I thought his answer was thoughtful and provides great solace, “Yes, it changes everyone in one way or another. We mostly become aware that the inmates are also humans who made mistakes, even though some of their crimes were despicable. Our job was not to judge. That had already been done by a jury of their peers. We also learned to take what was said to us with a grain of salt.” I hope these two little books are used by new staff in particular as they learned the nuances which will surround all they do. CT

Mark Your Calendars! Join us for future ACA Winter Conferences and Congresses of Correction! 2026 Winter Conference Long Beach, CA Feb. 5–8, 2026 156 th Congress of Correction Pittsburgh, PA July 28–Aug. 3, 2026 2027 Winter Conference Phoenix, AZ Jan. 7–10, 2027 157 th Congress of Correction Columbus, OH Aug. 19–22, 2027

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