People going rogue aren’t uncommon in correctional facilities. But what if the ones behaving erratically are the ones responsible for maintaining order?
Rogue corrections officers are a serious problem. They abuse overtime, facility resources, and inmates alike — and their access to keys could be allowing them to do it. The following four incidents show how dangerous keys in the wrong hands can be.
In a case that received national media coverage, a former assistant director of corrections for an Alabama jail ran away with an inmate. The woman removed the inmate from his cell, telling coworkers she was escorting him to an appointment. The officer’s patrol car was later found abandoned in a shopping center parking lot with her jail keys inside.
Command staff at a Georgia jail sent workers a memo warning them not to give inmates facility keys. The reprimand came amid other allegations of inappropriate behavior, such as selling contraband to inmates. Two employees were arrested.
A former corrections officer for an Alabama jail was arrested after he was caught smuggling in contraband — including a handcuff key — which he intended to sell to inmates. The sheriff expressed outrage that the former officer put his fellow employees “in extreme danger” by giving inmates the means to uncuff themselves and attack corrections staff.
At an Indiana jail, a former corrections officer allegedly sold keys to two male inmates for $1,000. The men then used the keys to enter the women’s pods, where they attacked more than two dozen victims over the span of two hours. Twenty-eight of those women filed two separate federal lawsuits against the sheriff, the officer who sold the keys, and several other staff who were working the night of the attack. One of the lawsuits accuses the sheriff of a systemic failure, including lack of training, supervision, and security.
How do you prevent employees from misusing keys in your own facility? Start with the following steps:
When corrections officers use keys for unauthorized reasons or willingly hand them over to inmates, you risk the lives of your staff, other inmates, and even the surrounding community. To maintain control of your facility, maintain control of your keys.