“Anything going on?”
“Nope. Same stuff, different day.”
The keys change hands, the outgoing officer heads for the door and another correctional officer takes responsibility for a housing unit. That may be one of the most dangerous conversations in corrections.
A proper shift change is more than exchanging keys and saying hello. It is a transfer of responsibility. It is also an opportunity for the incoming officer to prepare physically and mentally for an environment where problems are not going to wait until you get settled in.
After more than 29 years in corrections, I believe that the first few minutes of a shift can be some of the most important.
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Be physically ready
Before you assume the post, are you ready to work?
Check your keys. Test your radio. Inspect the equipment assigned to the post. Put on your stab vest or other required equipment. Know where your emergency equipment is and make sure it is operational.
These things sound basic because they are basic. But basic does not mean unimportant. The worst time to discover your radio does not transmit is when you need assistance. The worst time to discover you don’t know where a key goes is during an emergency. And the time to put on protective equipment is before something happens, not after. Once you take those keys and walk onto that unit, you are working.
Get your mind through the gate
Physical preparation is only part of it.
Complacency often happens because we have walked through the gates of a violent city, but our mind is still outside the walls with our family, financial problems, or whatever else is happening in our lives. Maybe you argued with your spouse or significant other before work. Maybe you are worried about a child. Maybe the mortgage is late. Maybe you are still angry about something that happened yesterday.
Those problems are real. But for the next eight or twelve hours, you have to recognize where your mind is right now. You need to be all here.
Emotional regulation is not pretending those problems do not exist. It is recognizing what you brought through the gate with you and making sure it does not interfere with your judgment, communication, or awareness.
Problems inside a prison do not wait for you to get your coffee, read your email, and settle into your shift.
Look before you arrive
Your assessment should begin before you reach your post.
As you walk through the institution, look around. Does anything stand out? Is movement normal? Is the noise level different? Are inmates gathered somewhere they normally aren’t? Is someone paying unusually close attention to you?
Most importantly, are inmates watching what staff are doing? We spend a lot of time observing inmates, but we sometimes forget they are observing us too. They learn our routines, habits and distractions. They know when shift change occurs. They see when officers are arriving, leaving, exchanging information, or looking at their phones, paperwork, or computer screens. Pay attention to who is paying attention to you.
Take custody of the information
Then comes the exchange of information.
“Who do I need to know about today?”
Don’t accept “nothing” as the entire briefing.
Were there conflicts? Threats? Medical issues? Separations? Cell moves? Use-of-force incidents? Maintenance problems? Equipment failures? Unusual behavior? Did someone receive bad news from home? Has an inmate who is normally loud and social suddenly become quiet and withdrawn?
Read the logbook, but talk to the officer you are relieving. Some of the most valuable information in corrections may never make it into an incident report. It is the officer saying, “Keep an eye on 214. Something isn’t right with him today.” That observation may mean nothing. It may also mean everything.
A recent New Zealand study examined 1,647 incidents in which male prisoners physically assaulted correctional officers. The researchers found that assaults occurred most frequently between 8 a.m. and noon, followed by noon to 4 p.m., and that the majority occurred in private locations, meaning in or directly around cells. [1]
Unlocking cells, distributing meals or medication, conducting rounds, and interacting with inmates at their doors are routine correctional duties. They are also opportunities for an assault. You cannot schedule when you will have to defend yourself or respond to someone else’s emergency.
In my experience, shift change can create its own vulnerabilities. Staff are coming and going. Information is being exchanged. Officers may be scattered. Some are thinking about getting home while others are just getting started. The inmate population does not stop operating because we are changing shifts.
The first five minutes are about transitioning yourself from outside the walls to inside them. Check your equipment. Test your radio. Scan the unit. Take custody of the information. And just as importantly, check yourself. When you take the post, be all there. In corrections, you don’t get to choose when the next emergency begins.
Reference
1. Taaka SS, Tamatea A, Polaschek DLL. (2025). Predicting Physical Violence Against Corrections Officers Across Three Levels of Severity Using Individual and Environmental Characteristics. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 40(17–18), 4273–4298.
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