This was RAPE!

[RandFan]

I did. To me, it applies well to the McDonald's case(in the behavior of the manager and others). But I wouldn't apply this to prison guards in general.

Please note, the experiment wasn't allowed for some reason to use real jail cells by real guards. And the only abuser in the McDonald's case who was a prison guard was the caller.

Interesting. Ok.

 

[Dancing David]

Prison guards seem to be one of the most corrupt corners of public service in the U.S., if you ask me. I don't doubt that the perp is just as dirty, if not dirtier, in terms of his prison guard responsibilities. There is so much power given to these individuals, many of whom are basically uneducated, with so little oversight, and there is so much reward for violating the rules (money for smuggling, among others), that it is almost unavoidable in the way that the system is set up. Sorry, I digress. It's a pet peve of mine.

I think that the first part seems to be an overstatement,"that it is almost unavoidable in the way that the system is set up", rings more true to me.

It is terrible work, high stress and lots of problems. I doubt that the level of corruption is any higher for prison gaurds than any other profession.

What evidence to you have that "one of the most corrupt corners of public service in the U.S."?

I am not deny-ing that there are problems, I am asking what proof do you have that it is worse than any other form of government service?

Especialy when you look at the amount of abuse and corruption that exists in the private sector.

 

[Dancing David]

Redunant post.

Move along.

 

[Dancing David]

redundant post.

Nothing to see here.

 

[Dancing David]

Or, as has been said before, when you work with filth all day, it's hard to stay clean.

Like rubbish collectors and cleaners, these guys do the jobs nobody else wants.

Ah, the use of an old saw is some sort of fallacy.

This true for all sorts of professions, ranging from ER/EMT personel, soldiers, police, social workers, therapists, school employees, you name it.

Some people have better support and supervision than others.

 

[Pescado]

What evidence to you have that "one of the most corrupt corners of public service in the U.S."?

The only evidence of corruption I have is the amount of illegal drugs in prisons, which itself is impossible to quantify. Evidence is tough to get in that regard for the same reason that it is tough to punish a guard for doing anything wrong in the first place. The system is set up in such a way that guards have little oversight and it is hard to get caught doing things that are against the rules, even though the reward (in terms of money or respect from one gang or another) for violating those rules can be quite high.

Keep in mind I also said, "if you ask me", which was meant to qualify the statement that you quoted, to ensure that everyone reading it knew that I was offering it as an opinion.

Especialy when you look at the amount of abuse and corruption that exists in the private sector.

I specifically said the public sector, though.

 

[luchog]

This comment is full of the elitism I wish wasn't on this board.

Hardly elitism. Simply more or less realistic, depending on where you happen to be.

Prison guards fulfill a necessary role in modern society. They work hard, put in long hours, and do a job the rest of us are too good to do for a wage that will barely put them in the ranks of the middle class.

This is an oversimplification. The job of prison guard varies a lot, depending on the prison and the location. One of my old National Guard crew was a prison guard at one of the local medium-security prisons. I also have family friends who have been prison guards.

Around here, they get paid pretty dang well at State level. More than I make with my soft desk job, and well into Middle Class; and way more than public school teachers make.

And corruption is rampant, moreso than in any other law-enforcement field (except perhaps vice). Mostly little stuff, smuggling drugs and other contraband, acting as go-betweens for outside contacts, and aiding them in various credit-card theft and boiler-room scams.

Have heard plenty of stories of abuse from both sides of the bars.

 

[Pescado]

Around here, they get paid pretty dang well at State level. More than I make with my soft desk job, and well into Middle Class; and way more than public school teachers make.

The prison guards union is one of the most powerful unions, or political forces period, in California. Along with nurses and teachers, that is. Ahnold found out just how strong the hard way.