Criminal Justice Major

Staff and Offender Relationships: Maintaining Professional Boundaries

This country is plagued with sex in the workplace. News of inappropriate behavior resulting in breeches of trust, such as teachers having sex with students, military cadre having sex with recruits and criminal justice employees having sex with offenders seems to be in the reports of the news media every day. In recent years, the Department of Public Safety has certainly had their share of this crisis. Agencies dedicated to administrating justice should not be in the business of dispensing sex. Even so, the department faces one scandal after another over staff having sexual contact with inmates, offenders and juveniles. During my research of this topic, I plan to address the legal ramifications, professional culture and employee awareness. As an employee with this agency I want this research to educate other employees on what they stand to lose from engaging in undue familiarity with an inmate, offender or juvenile. The Department of Public Safety has a responsibility to address this issue not only for what they stand to lose as an agency, but how it affects employees, families and the community as a whole. Because this problem has reached epidemic proportions, the implications of a law and policy regarding Undue Familiarity had to be developed. All departmental staff is educated that consent is not a defense upon hiring; and are required recertification on an annual basis. The department is committed to a standard of zero-tolerance of sexual abuse toward inmates, offenders and juveniles. I feel my research will address guidelines for the prevention, detection, response, investigation, prosecution and tracking of staff on inmate sexual abuse. Prevention includes awareness, education, training and consequences for the employees. Detection will require the department to establish warning signs, patterns and behavior displayed in the employees that cross these professional boundaries. Response and investigation into this problem will work hand in hand in prevention and alleviation. Prosecution must be immediate and consistent to project a show of force to those who violate the policy and law. The use of exit interviews will assist in the tracking process and provide the department with the information needed to prevent future acts of misconduct. This topic is important to me, whereas it has affected many past co-workers and their families, in which I had a personal experience with. I once assisted a classmate in becoming a correctional officer and she became unduly familiar with an inmate. Not only did she lose her job but her social standing in the community as well as her husband and daughters. I have never allowed anyone else to use me as a reference for employment with the agency; and I do not ever want this to happen again to anyone.