Real-Life Decision Making
Cheryl Rowley is a correctional officer. She also trains new correctional officers. She says decision-making skills are very important in her line of work. "You have to be able to make decisions on your own, and you need to be flexible with those decisions," she says.
When correctional officers make wrong decisions, they can jeopardize the safety and the well-being of fellow staff members, other inmates and the public. And there is a good chance that mistakes correctional officers make will find their way into the local paper or onto television.
"If we make a wrong decision, if we let the wrong person out, it gets into the media," says Rowley.
It's a quiet Friday afternoon at the regional prison where you work. It's a medium-security prison that houses people convicted of armed robbery and similar crimes.
It's quiet, that is, until one inmate begins to get rowdy. In the outdoor exercise area, he starts a fight with another inmate, which spreads into other brawls. Other prisoners begin throwing exercise equipment around and officers are running for cover.
Visiting hours begin in 15 minutes. You must decide whether to call a lockdown of the prison facility -- meaning that all prisoners must remain in their cells. This would cancel visiting time -- a big deal because many prisoners look forward to visits for weeks.
But a lockdown would also help restore order. Without a lockdown, bringing things under control could put the lives of other correctional officers in danger. The rest of the officers are waiting for you to make the call.
What do you do?