Warning Signs Overlooked in Hiring for New York City Jails

[inanna]

Source: New York Times


By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ and MICHAEL WINERIPJAN. 15, 2015

A recent applicant for a job as a correction officer at New York City jails had several friends who were gang members. Another had been arrested four times and had been fired from a job as a security guard for stealing from the business he was supposedly guarding.

Another was found psychologically unfit to be a correction officer but was hired anyway. On her personnel file it was written that she was a “family friend of Norman Seabrook,” the powerful leader of the union for city correction officers.

Despite such red flags, each of these applicants became a correction officer, along with dozens of other people with questionable backgrounds, including those with gang affiliations, criminal histories and significant psychological problems, according to a report by the city’s Department of Investigation to be released on Thursday.

In a review of 153 applications of people the Correction Department recently hired, city investigators found that more than one-third had problems that either should have disqualified them or needed further scrutiny. Ten had been arrested more than once, and 12 had previously been rejected by the New York Police Department, six of them for “psychological reasons”, among other issues. Additionally, 79 had relatives or friends who were current or former inmates, a potential security threat, officials said.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/15/nyregion/hired-for-new-york-jails-despite-warning-signs.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

[iandhr]

1. As a New Yorker this is a bit alarming.

[bonniebgood]

2. I wonder how many were black or brown that were rejected

with no criminal history?

[Lochloosa]

3. Sounds like they should look at who is doing the hiring not who they have hired.

[RobinA]

4. My Guess Would Be

they are desperate for people and hired the people who seemed the best of the lot, including, of course the people who knew someone.

I'd be curious to see the applications of people they didn't hire. I seriously doubt that they are in a position to discriminate much. They need bodies.

[Politicalboi]

5. I wonder

If they turned down pot smokers over gang members. Can't have tainted pee after all. I bet if they stopped drug testing, they would get better people.

[RobinA]

6. I Would Bet

on it. Plus sending out the message that pot smokers need not apply.

[GOLGO 13]

7. Turnover rate is breath taking for CO's

It's quite frankly a nasty, nasty job dealing with criminals fresh off the street. Working conditions are beyond abysmal and they are alarmingly under trained to cope with the many difficulties of the job.

Being a CO is considered the lowest of the low in law enforcement jobs. NYPD refers to them as, "criminals with keys" and nobody is laughing when that "joke" is said.

They think they are going to attract quality people with degrees to walk the tiers and get "shit down" is considered a regular thing. Other than firemen I don't know too many jobs where donning a rain coat while inside a building is considered "prudent".

Also keep in mind that the 1st thing a CO wants to do when he gets the job is to "bid" to get away from the inmates. In other words to get a permanent job where you have little to no contact. For instance working in the towers, the visitor room or exterior patrol would in effect ensure you have next to no contact with the inmates. Most of the CO's working the tiers are new jacks (fresh meat).

There a several ways a CO handles the stress & most of them are not healthy.

[Reter]

8. Yet they rejected me because I didn't have the college credits required

I hate the NYC jobs requirements. It's all about BS college requirements for jobs that don't need it (fire department, oh please!) stupid tests, and long waiting periods.