ABSTRACT
I In order to understand the manner in which individual correctional officers define and give meaning to the details of their work, it is important to understand how these people came to this particular occupation. Their pre-correctional officer experiences in the community of Auburn, their perceptions of the prison and the “convicts” it houses shape the way they interpret and give meaning to their work environment. The correctional officers’ initial training experiences, their first face-to-face meetings with inmates, other correctional officers and the administrative structure of the prison provide benchmarks which serve to mea sure the various experiences they will have throughout their careers. As correc tional officers “learn the prison,” they come to understand its different environments and the variety of tasks and problems, skills and techniques that each separate environment demands. In learning the prison, they also learn where in the prison they are most comfortable and the tasks they can best perform. The chapters in this section are designed to describe the variety of impressions and experiences these officers brought to their work, their initial reactions to their work and the work environment, and the tasks and problems they associate with the variety of work settings which are part of Auburn Prison.
