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Readers are invited back into another anthology of stories about working as a corrections officer that demystifies prison life, honestly delving into the tension and violence that can erupt at any moment while also showing that inmates and staff can coexist and help each other when respect is earned and given. Pooled together from personal experience as well as from shared stories of co-workers and others in the same field, the book’s tales are entertaining and fascinating, as unpredictable as a day in the life of someone working in this field can be.
From unpredictable prisoner transfers and prisoner-on-prisoner violence to officers having differences in opinion in an environment where every second matters, every page gives readers situations that would seem unfathomable to most. People from all walks of life will wonder what they would do if they were thrust into any of these roles, coming away with a deeper, fuller understanding of what an average day in this career entails.
Though there is a spectrum of outcomes in this volume, the author is showing a willingness to be more honest and daring by including stories that can make any of its subjects out to be at fault. Even some of the more humorous or kind anecdotes have moments where things seem to balance on the razor’s edge. While that tension no doubt makes the job of working in corrections a stressful one, it does lead to entertaining and gripping reading. Both to protect identities and to make for a more interesting tale, the author does make concessions for dramatization and filling in the gaps, but these are all stories that are formed from real-life moments and memories that make it clear how dangerous a place prison can be for everyone who spends time there on either side of the bars.