Importance Of Prison Internsment

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My first day of my internship was the most intense, eye opening, and challenging day for me. I had never been inside a jail before this internship so working alongside inmates was a big shock to me. I worked in various fields at the Essex County Sheriff’s Department in Middleton. The ECSD is not only for sentenced inmates serving a maximum of two and a half years per charges on up to three charges, but also serves as a holding place for inmates still awaiting trial. This facility currently houses around 1,100 inmates and believes their overall mission is to protect residence in the region from criminal offenders. This mission is accomplished by securely housing inmates, using innovative approaches to do so, and keeping the public informed.…show more content…
While on a tour of the facility the officers would ask me if I knew what the various colored inmate uniforms mean. While I didn’t know what the colors meant, I knew the vocabulary works for the types of inmates. From criminology classes I already knew what pre-trial, the minimum and maximum sentences were, and what other terminology such as recidivism, ad-seg, and _______ meant. For my future classes, I am hoping to take more classes that focus on corrections and how facilities are run instead of classes focusing on how the legal system works. This internship confirmed what path I thought I was interested in which is working around inmates serving sentences instead of acting as a public defender or lawyer. I also gained reassurance from many of the superiors I got to work with since many of them were always impressed with how quickly I would pick something up or enthusiastic I was to learn about their job. I would say I did the best job at the mail room because once I got into the routine I was able to pick up the pace and just get into the habit of what to do. The most challenging job for me was when I was in the central control and had to open and the close the doors as people passed through. I don't know why I found it so challenging but keeping up with the people walking and making sure only one door was opening and closing at one time was tough for me. If I could re-do this experience I would have asked for assistance a little longer before trying to do it fully on my own. Compared to my first internship I enjoyed this one a lot more and thought it was more relevant to what career I hope to have in the future. It also challenged me more causing me to step outside my comfort zone and do things I am not used to doing. I am very thankful to have had this experience at the ECSD because it helped me realize what I want to do in

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