ABSTRACT
Perhaps the busiest and most demanding job assignment is that of the block officer. In cell blocks housing between 300 and 400 men, the block officer supervises and cares for inmates and supervises other officers who are assigned to gallery duty within the blocks. During the evening shifts, when inmates are locked in their cells, the tasks of the block officer are fairly routine: making rounds to inspect cells for fires, watching for signs of self-destructive behavior and handling inmate problems as they arise. On day shifts the block officer’s tasks become much more complex: a combination of security, supervision, housekeep ing and human services:
In the block my job is to keep the block running orderly and on schedule. Special things to do during the school week and others on weekends. Let them in and out on time, make regular counts. Let those in coming from work. Give out medication. Lock them in and count again. Then let them out into the yard. All the while I have to handle all kinds of problems, personal, plumbing or electrical. I hand out newspapers and mail. I make check rounds to make sure there’s no two in a cell. Let some in at seven o’clock and after eight o’clock let those in from the yard. Then I make the final count. There’s call outs and everything else in between. Anything can happen and always does.
