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Right or wrong: Inmate transferred after saving officer’s life

To alleviate an officer’s feeling of obligation toward an inmate who helped rescue him during an attack, the officer’s supervisor has the inmate transferred. Was this the right thing to do?

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AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco

By Anthony Gangi, C1 Columnist

Correctional Officer Joseph Smith has just returned to work after being assaulted by an inmate over a month ago. When he was assaulted, the first person that was able to come to his rescue was inmate Jackson Wade. Since that day, Officer Smith has not seen inmate Wade (Side note: The other inmates do not know that Wade saved the officer that day).

When Smith enters his unit, the first inmate that comes to check up on him is Wade. Smith and Wade quickly get into a discussion about what happened that day. Smith makes it known to the inmate that, if it wasn’t for the inmate coming to his rescue, he probably would have never made it home. When the conversation is over, Smith gets a weird feeling of obligation towards Wade.

By the end of his shift, Smith goes to the warden’s office and asks if there is anything they can do that can show recognition for what Wade did on the day of the assault. The warden is quick to reply that any form of recognition may present a problem between Wade and the rest of the inmate population. If he is publicly recognized, it may place a label on him that could threaten his safety. Smith then makes note that the inmate did save his life and there should be a way to recognize his actions. Through recognition, Smith is hoping to lift his feelings of obligation.

The next day, Smith returns to his unit to find that inmate Wade had been transferred, unwillingly, out of his unit. The warden did this transfer as an effort to prevent any feeling of obligation Smith may have towards Wade. Wade now believes he is being punished for saving the officer’s life, which will easily discourage him from doing the same type of action again.

Was there any other action the warden could have taken that could have alleviated Smith’s sense of obligation without removing the inmate from the unit? Or did the warden do the right thing and help prevent another officer from possibly being manipulated?

These training scenarios are intended to draw the reader into the discussion and create a repository of differing viewpoints on a single subject. These scenarios are intended for training purposes only. Though the scenarios are drawn from real-world incidents, no one scenario talks about a specific person or place. If you have questions or ideas for a training scenario, email editor@corrections1.com.

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