Can You Say Please?

While working as a Corrections officer in a State Prison facility, an Officer who handled Inmate requests for forms, newspapers, aspirins, etc, had an Inmate approach the desk and abruptly and quite rudely demand a newspaper by gruffly grunting “PAPER!” The Officer turned to the Inmate, smiled and said “Can you say please?” The inmate stared at the Officer for a second and then walked away in a huff without the newspaper.

A few minutes later, the Officer’s Sergeant approached the Officer and said that an Inmate just came up to him and asked where it says in Policy that an Inmate has to say “Please” to get a newspaper. The Sergeant told the Officer, he replied “it doesn’t and asked the Inmate why he asked?” The Sergeant said the Inmate, pointed to the Officer, and said “then you better teach that Officer over there Policy”!

The Sergeant then asked the Officer if he refused to give a newspaper to an inmate if he didn’t say please? And the Officer replied that he did not refuse anything and just asked the Inmate if he could say please. The Sergeant in no uncertain terms informed the Officer that “the Inmate does NOT have to say Please for anything because nowhere in Policy does it say he has to!”

The Officer looked at the Sergeant dumbfounded and said, “that he didn’t feel it had anything to do with any Policy and that he was simply attempting to impress upon the Inmate, simple common courtesies of Please and Thank you.”

The Officer tried to explain to the Sergeant that on the outside, where the Inmate might be lucky enough to be some day, even if it’s not written in POLICY anywhere, common courtesies are pretty much expected or at the very least, anticipated. Not to mention appreciated. And it is part of an Officer’s job to reinforce positive and courteous behavior in order to have the Inmate better prepared to deal with society once the Inmate is released. The Sergeant replied saying “he’s an Inmate and doesn’t have to say Please!”

Later, the Inmate came back to the desk, smirked at the Officer and again rudely demanded a newspaper from another Officer and received it without having to say Please or Thank you.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. And don’t forget to thank a Corrections Officer for doing the “thankless” job they do. Have a great day!