By C1 Staff
To say a career in corrections is tough is an understatement. Corrections officers face a great deal of difficulty on a daily basis, and much of it is tied to the inmate population. But – believe it or not – there are times when inmates not only respect corrections staff members, but come to their aid. We’ve gathered five incredible moments that happened in 2016. Take a look, and be sure to check out all of our 2016 End of Year special coverage.
5. NY inmates rescue CO under attack
A group of Albany County Jail inmates sprang into action after a corrections officer was attacked by a prisoner. The inmates were part of the jail’s “Soldier On” rehabilitation program, which helps inmates who served in the military get on a better path. The attacker in the August incident was not part of the program.
“Some say you can’t change behavior of an inmate? I call BS! The Soldier On inmates immediately jumped up and every one of them went to the aid of the Officer....not one not two but everyone of the veterans on that tier,” Sheriff Craig Apple wrote in a Facebook post about the incident.
4. Inmates make get well cards for 2 COs shot at Calif. jail
Correctional Officers Juanita Davila and Toamalama Scanlan received an outpouring of support after they were shot and wounded by an ex-convict in September — including from jail inmates.
Inmates at the Fresno County Jail, where 37-year-old Thong Vang opened fire and wounded the two officers, told the jail administration that they wanted to send their well wishes to the COs. Cards were delivered to the recovering officers.
3. Ohio inmates stop prisoner strangling jail deputy
A jail deputy who was being strangled by an inmate was aided by two prisoners until backup arrived. The minute-long struggle in July that could have turned deadly started when the attacker tried to slip a noose over the deputy’s head.
“Obviously, Deputy Lucas was having a hard time getting to his radio during the tussle, and so in this particular instance, it helped having the other inmates assist the officer,” Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene told WKBN.
2. Inmate helps take down Okla. CO’s attacker
An inmate helped stop the beating of a corrections officer at the Payne County Jail in August.
CO Matthew Hudson opened inmate Tashka Robert Frank Maret’s cell to let him use the bathroom. Maret exited and immediately attacked Hudson. Then, Robert Charles Hammock, who was seated on the bench in intake waiting to be released from custody, came to Hudson’s aid and assisted the officer in wrestling Maret to the ground.
1. Texas inmates break free to save CO suffering from heart attack
A corrections officer was watching over inmates and joking with them when he lost consciousness and fell over.
At least eight inmates in the holding cell started calling for help during the June incident. When no one responded, they broke out of their cell to get the jail staff’s attention – banging on doors and shouting until deputies arrived. The corrections officer had suffered a heart attack. Deputies performed CPR until paramedics arrived. The CO ultimately survived.