This tactical tip was generated by Sgt. Rodger Haugen from the Vilas County, W.I. jail who sent me an e-mail that asked this question:
“I have been in corrections for almost 25 years and am looking for an article or information that can be passed on to the younger guys about ‘the walls have ears.’ Maybe you know what I’m referring to - inmates always ‘fishing’ for that personal info or scoop on the officers. I read an article years ago (I think) about this and wonder if it came from you? Thanks for any help.”
I had to reply to Sgt. Haugen that I had not written such an article. but that I agreed totally with this concept that the “walls do have ears” in a correctional facility.
You have read my columns where I have raved about the benefits of good communication skills for officers. I am going another way this time. I am going to tell you to SHUT UP. We all need to stop talking about personal and security matters in front of inmates.
THE WALLS DO HAVE EARS. Since inmates are everywhere within a correctional facility, they soon become invisible to us and we talk about personal and security issues in front of them. There is a reason that they know who is dating who, who is have marital problems, what is the current security concern with the facility, the fact that we happen to be unhappy about the performance of a supervisor or fellow officer, and what key opens what door. The fact of the matter is that we tell them. They will use this information to manipulate us and other officers, attempt to escape or get contraband into the facility, and place us all in potential physical and legal danger.
There are some things that should never be discussed in inmate areas. Of course, we shouldn’t discuss security matters in front of the inmates, but the jail house gossip can be just as bad. What you say about your supervisors or or other officers can be equally harmful – especially when it is fed back to them after being spiced up by the inmate. Over the years, I have seen officers disciplined after losing control and going off verbally and sometimes physically over what an inmate told them that another officer said about them.
Then there is the personal information fed back to you by an inmate. How can they know where we live, where we socialize after work, where our kids go to school, and other personal and, oftentimes, intimate information? The fact is that we tell them by talking about these subjects in front of inmates.
In Verbal Judo, we talk about the concept of Tactical Empathy – learning what your inmate thinks, what s/he believes in, and what motivates them so your can better control their behavior. This works both ways. Don’t let your inmate learn too much about you by what you say to them or say in front of them.
The next time you are going to say something to another officer in an inmate area look up and see who could be listening. Then ask yourself: “What is the worse thing that could happen if an inmate heard what I am saying?” Then let your imagination run wild. The answers that you think of will probably prevent you from saying what you were about to say. Remember that just because you are paranoid, it doesn’t mean that people (in this case inmates) aren’t out to get you.
Think before you talk. Look around for eavesdroppers. Then, if safe, say what you wanted to say.
