As correctional health care professionals, there may be times when we are tempted to conduct ourselves in a less than professional manner simply because we can.
We may be able to get away with speaking to our patients rudely, using profanity profusely, or wearing inappropriate clothing. After all, we work in jails and prisons. This culture is far from prim and proper. And, our patients are inmates. Many may tolerate misbehavior from us that patients on the outside would not and should not tolerate.
I’ve previously written about how I’ve found the book, Games Criminals Play, to be an invaluable resource. One key point that I learned is that many inmates, especially those trying to set up and manipulate staff, want to know whether each prison worker is a fellow inmate or “the police.” In other words, do we side with the inmates, or are we professional workers who take our jobs seriously?
Continue reading »
To be effective and enjoy working as a psychiatrist in any setting requires unique personality traits. Likewise, to be effective and enjoy any type of work in corrections requires unique personality traits. But, working as a psychiatrist AND doing so in jails and prisons narrows down the field even further.
For the right candidate it can be a very rewarding career. For others, frustration and ultimately burnout may result.
Here are a few personality traits that I believe are important:
1. Having a Strong Sense of Independence: One needs to be able to organize and prioritize many different tasks without having to ask for advice and reassurance often.
2. Having Patience: Prisons and jails work on their own schedules. The primary priority is always security. Health care is an ancillary service in corrections, not the primary mission. There will be frequent delays and inconveniences that arise. One must be able to shift gears, adapt, and still make the best use of the time available.
3. Having a Sense of Humility: Psychiatrists make more money than most workers in correctional settings and also must work hard to earn the respect of other staff since those providing “help” in corrections are often seen as enablers. Walking in with an attitude will assure a psychiatrist even higher doses of resentment and passive-aggressive behavior from
Continue reading »
Games Criminals Play: How You Can Profit By Knowing Them, by Bud Allen and Diana Bosta, was one of the most eye-opening books I read when I began working in the correctional setting. It was originally published in 1981 and has proven to be one of those timeless “must reads” for anyone working with inmates in any setting. It’s still in stock at Amazon and rated a solid 5 stars. In my opinion, nobody should be allowed to work in corrections without first reading this book.
We all want to believe that we’re intelligent, sophisticated, and unlikely to be conned. The reality is
Continue reading »
Recent Comments