By Ann Smajstrla
Herald Democrat
SHERMAN, Texas — Students in Denison High School’s criminal justice classes received a lesson on state prisons — how they operate and what it is like to work in one — from a local corrections officer on Friday.
Officer Kevin Ashworth has served as a corrections officer for 22 years. He has worked at the Choice Moore Unit, one of two state prisons in Fannin County, since it opened in 1995.
Criminal justice teacher Steve Cherry worked at a prison in the early 1970s, though the majority of his law enforcement career was as a police officer. He said he is glad that students had an opportunity to learn about the prison system from a longtime correctional officer like Ashworth.
“There are three parts to criminal justice: police, courts and corrections,” Cherry said. “I know the police part well. But for courts and corrections, I like for the students to learn from a source other than a textbook. … That’s why I’m glad Officer Ashworth could be here today.”
First Ashworth addressed common misconceptions about the prison system. For one thing, he said, violence is much less common in prison than is depicted on TV shows or in movies. Fights do sometimes break out among the inmates, but this rarely happens. Corrections officers also try to not use physical force against inmates.
“Violence is the absolute last thing we want to do (to subdue an inmate). … We’re trained that when resistance stops, force stops,” he said.
Another aspect of the prison system that some people may not realize is the focus on rehabilitating inmates and preparing them to live and work in society. In Texas, inmates who do not have a high school diploma are expected to earn a GED by the time they finish their sentence. The Windham School District operates only in prisons and is instrumental in helping with inmate education efforts at the Choice Moore and Buster Cole units, Ashworth said.
The two prisons in Fannin County have gardens that produce 150,000 pounds of crops every year. The inmates manage the gardens, harvest the crops and then cook them for inmate meals. Inmates can also learn skills by working in the mail room, laundry facility and other parts of the prison.
Students also received a glimpse into the daily life of an average prison inmate. To name a few facts: breakfast is served at 3:30 a.m. Head counts of each inmate occur eight times per day. In recreation rooms the TV channel is only changed once per hour, and inmates must vote on what they will watch.
Ashworth encouraged students to consider entering into the corrections field when they graduate. There are currently 108 Texas state prisons, 149,000 prison inmates and 26,000 correctional officers. The system is about 2,200 officers short for the current prison population, Ashworth said.
“Some kids might not know what they want to do out of high school and don’t plan on going to college. I want to let them know that becoming a corrections officer is an option. … A college degree is not required. It pays well and there are good benefits,” Ashworth said.
Student Jordan Button, a junior, said she is not sure whether she will pursue a law enforcement career in her future, but that she was glad to hear Friday’s presentation.
“What people see in the media about law enforcement often gives them a bad impression,” Button said. “It’s good to hear the truth.”