Interview report

Interview report

On Thursday June 20, I was able to schedule an interview for Friday June 21, 2019, over Julio De la Cruz, a correctional officer at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Beeville, Texas. I see Mr. De la Cruz as an officer with a huge amount of responsibilities because of the position he holds. Mr. De la Cruz has now been working at this Maximum-Security Prison facility over 2 years. According to 2018 report, a correctional officer is considered to be “one of the riskiest professions.

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As a correctional officer, Mr. De la Cruz holds to be ultimately responsible for safety, supervision and the security of inmates under his care. Some of Mr. De la Cruz duties include: maintaining order in the detention facility, walking around the inmate’s “pods” and do what they call “rounds” every 30 minutes to make sure the offenders are in their cell. As well in inspecting inmates’ cells, feeding them, giving them access one by one for recreation and shower time.

Sometimes, Mr. De la Cruz has had to stop prison riots, prison gangs, and most importantly protect himself from infectious diseases. Mr. De la Cruz mentioned the best thing he can do is treat everyone fairly and be consistent by giving them what they are entitled to.

I asked Mr. De la Cruz several questions regarding his experience as a correctional officer. I will discuss a few of these questions. First, I asked Mr. De la Cruz why he decided to work as a correctional officer and he stated that he would be able to gain knowledge and experience for future reference in his upcoming plans to work as a police officer or as a sheriff official.

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Moreover, he mentioned that this job has taught him patience, communication skills and unfortunately, he came to the realization that correctional officers are very unvalued.

Second, I asked him if this job has changed his mentality or perspective (It is not clear what change you are referring to here. Please clarify…)and he answered that “it has taught him to be more aware of his surroundings and that respect and how you communicate with the inmates makes a difference”. Jail guards must be prepared for the unexpected. He further explained that a time that an inmate took serious by simply not saying good morning back to the offender. (this part is a bit unclear and difficult to understand, clarify)

Lastly, I asked Mr. De la Cruz if his job as a correctional officer has provided any additional opportunities, which he explained that although his responsibility as a correctional officer is undervalued by the public, many jobs do take their hard work into consideration. Some jobs know the meaning of what it is to work a at maximum-security prison which they therefore would prefer the experience of an individual who has management and communication skills. Therefore, they will able to de-escalate many situations out in public with their experience.

Overall, from this interview, I learned that one will have to start somewhere and working as a correctional officer can help one begin his/her career. After graduating college/university, it can be a bit difficult to find a job, especially if an individual has little or no experience, so correctional experience could be very valuable. (how will this experience help own future or career)