Imagine being expected to be the first responder
The counselor
The mediator
The police officer
The fireman
All in a place where you are despised by its citizens.

Imagine being required to protect and serve in an isolated
community that would rather not see you.

Imagine having had feces and urine thrown on you by
someone and being expected five minutes later to render
aid and CPR to save their life.

Imagine being the law in a lawless society.

Imagine going to work each day, seeing only negativity
and depression rear its ugly head at every turn with the only
positives being those that you create.

Imagine not having anyone to talk to when you are ready
to explode with pent up anxiety, at least anyone that will
understand what pressures you endure.

Imagine not being able to attend important family
functions due to staff shortages, and not being able to get
the time off because prisons have to be staffed 24-7.

Imagine being the only person among 90 people in a
building to have any means to respond to an emergency,
whether it is your emergency or another's.

Imagine not being able to show human emotion, anger,
happiness or disappointment when responding to another
person's actions and feelings.

Imagine having to deliver news of a loved ones death to a
person who has no means to seek support of another family
member to help with their grief, and you as the messenger
have to remain unattached and neutral.

Imagine being employed and trained to take a life as well
as save a life per your job description. During your
interview you are asked, “If the need arose could you take
another life”?

Imagine being the barrier between victim and abuser,
innocence and evil, child and sexual abuse, public safety
and crime, on a daily basis behind the confines of the
fences and walls out of public view.

Imagine never receiving public awareness of what you do
to protect the public and deal with the threats you face "all
in a days work".

Imagine Listening and trying to give advice to solve other
people's problems when you are not even sure how to solve
your own!

By Ron Forget
Iowa Correctional Institution for Women