Using Psychology to Avoid Violence in a Correctional Facility
Mark Knight
When I began my career, 29 years ago in the county jail, I was fascinated with psychology. But I was not well versed in violence. I really liked people and enjoyed fixing problems. However, I quickly learned that violence is the common language in a correctional environment.
Even when there is not active violence, it is always seething beneath the surface. After several serious fights shook me up mentally, I realized that if I didn’t embrace violence, it would destroy me. I have found that the more I embrace violence, the less likely I am to have to use it.
I also realized that jails and prisons will always be ruled by the survival of the fittest. No matter the politics in the outside world, the rules are very primitive inside. Things that would be seen as primitive outside are vital inside. Inmates try to look bigger and tougher because it convinces others that they are the dominant predator. To a person doing life, violence is the only constant.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that reasoning with an inmate will always work. Some people don’t understand that most criminal predators don’t look at the world the same way we do. Try to view the world from their perspective to influence their decisions.
An officer who looks capable of inflicting great violence and treats others with respect will always have an advantage over a weak disrespectful officer. The best officer is one who will do everything they can to avoid violence but embraces it when they have run out of choices. Despite our best efforts, we will not always be able to avoid violent confrontation.
At the beginning of my career, I worked in the jail for four years. I have worked as a patrol deputy, a school resource officer, 13 years on a full time SWAT team as a sniper and a breacher, and four years as a training academy instructor. Because of the severe officer shortage, I have been working a lot in the jail again for the last two years. I try to learn something new every day.
In my career, I have arrested over 4,000 people and been in close to 150 fights. I have never lost a fight. I am under no illusion that I can’t be beaten, I just refuse to lose. I have won fights after tearing my right triceps, breaking my leg, breaking my kneecap, and breaking my nose. I will not quit.
I have no idea how many interactions I have had with angry people who wanted to fight in the last 29 years. I would guess that it’s over 15,000, but that’s just a guess. 150 fights with that many interactions means that I use violence less than 1% of the time.
By sharing stories of the tools that I have used, I hope to decrease the chances that you will have to use violence in your correctional facility.
About two years into my career, I moved out of the buildings and into complex security. In addition to transporting inmates, we were responsible for cell extractions and responding to calls for assistance. We had the job of a corrections tactical team without the cool uniforms and equipment.
During the two preceding years, I had shifted my mindset from believing that I was the toughest and meanest person in the jail. That attitude helps prepare to win fights, but the attitude and swagger that goes with it can start fights. I had changed to believe that everyone was safer because I was in the building. When I showed up, inmates were more likely to give up without fighting. If they did fight, they were less likely to get injured because I was there. That still allowed me to be the toughest guy in the room, but without the attitude.
One evening, another officer and I were called to extract an inmate from his cell and transport him to the downtown jail. When we arrived, the inmate had flooded his cell and put his mattress in front of the door. I love to talk to people, and I enjoy finding a peaceful resolution as much as I enjoy fighting. So, this was my kind of show.
I asked him what he was mad about, and he said that he wasn’t going to move downtown. He told me that he would kill anybody that tried to take him out of the cell. I didn’t respond to the challenge of my authority and talked very calmly. I let him vent for a few minutes. Then I told him in a matter-of-fact way that he was going to have to go eventually. Sooner or later, I would have to come in and get him. He had the expected blow up and threats that go with it. I allowed him to vent without interruption.
About ten minutes into the conversation, I asked him what day it was. He looked puzzled and told me that it was Friday. Sixth Street was our main entertainment district in the city, and I knew it would be busy. I said, “I’ll bet Sixth Street will have lots of people out tonight.” He looked at me and said, “So what?”.
I told him that, if he came out without fighting, we could drive down Sixth Street and he could look at all the people. I knew that he hadn’t seen the free world in six months. He looked at me and said, “Are you [messing] with me?”. I said, “No. We get to pick the route that we take, and I can take Sixth Street to change things up. It will be quicker going down Sixth Street than it will be to fight and have to take you to the hospital.
I’ll even roll down the window so that you can see better. But, if you start yelling and being disrespectful, I’ll roll the window back up.” We had a cage on the window, so it wasn’t a huge security risk.
He asked, “Are you serious?”. I said, “Yeah. You can even pick the radio station.” He told me, “Bet that! Let me pack up my [stuff]!”. He came out without incident and even cleaned up his cell before we left. We drove down Sixth Street, with his window down listening to hip hop music. He was quiet and respectful, and we made the transfer without incident.
When we got out at the downtown jail, he said, “Thanks for not killing me.” I told him that I was not planning to kill him. He told me that he could tell that I was going to kill him, but I gave him a cool option that allowed him to save face and not have to fight with me.
That was a defining moment for me in dealing with predators. As I was talking to him at the cell door, I was thinking through all my options. There were only two of us, three including the post officer. Staff shortages are not a new problem. I knew that, if things went bad enough, I might have to kill him. I had planned three different scenarios in my head that involved deadly force, along with more peaceful options.
I was so used to thinking that way that I forgot that I had a plan to kill him. Because he lived in a world of predators, his life depended on being able to quickly read the difference between predator and prey. He decided that I was the more dominant predator and that he didn’t want to fight. By being flexible and not letting my ego take over, I was able to avoid violence.
I also interrupted his OODA (observe, orient, decide, and act) loop by asking him what day it was. It is a bizarre question during the middle of a violent confrontation. Then, to follow it up with an offer to drive down Sixth Street derailed his plans to fight.
The first step in avoiding violence is officer presence. Don’t underestimate the power of your uniform, your physical conditioning and how you carry yourself. I have carefully crafted my uniform to have the biggest impact on the psyche of people who may want to fight.
Sgt. Oghenetega Onoshirie
Although many officers wear black tennis shoes or hiking boots, I still wear spit shined combat type boots. A significant portion of incarcerated people, and society in general, are obsessed with shoes. When I worked in the schools, I would watch kids walk to school in the rain in slides. When they got to school, they would put on their carefully protected shoes and strut through the halls. Then they would walk home in slides again in the mud. I’ve seen kids fight because someone scuffed up their shoes. I have seen many of those kids in our jail population.
By taking pride in my boots, I make a connection and an impact with that group. It also shows everyone that I pay attention to details.
Although most officers wear polo shirts with an embroidered badge, I still wear a uniform shirt with buttons and a metal badge. I wear my SWAT pin and my Marksmanship Team pin.
I have had belligerent inmates see my SWAT pin, ask if I’m on SWAT, and then settle down. While working day shift about a year ago, an inmate with mental health issues was throwing things in his cell and yelling. When I arrived, he looked at my uniform and said, “Oh [no]! You’re on the marksmanship team! I’m not [messing] with you!”. I found it ironic that he was impressed with the Marksmanship Team pin in an environment where I did not have access to a gun. But that was the link that allowed me to resolve the incident peacefully.
Our uniform shirts have sleeves that are intended to be rolled up to display reflective striping on the inside. It is intended to make us more visible at accident scenes. I leave mine rolled up because it makes my uniform stand out and shows more of my arms. I work out regularly and stay in good shape. Inmates frequently comment on my physical conditioning and ask how much I bench. A body that looks ready to fight, along with a close-trimmed grey beard, sends the message that I have worked out regularly for over 40 years and will not be an easy fight.
In a correctional environment, inmates don’t reach old age unless they have found a way to be dangerous. An older officer who stays in good condition is looked at in the same light.
When I started working in the jail again, I began carrying a mouth guard. I carried it with the intention of protecting my teeth in a fight. But I quickly found that it has huge psychological value. So far, I have been able to deescalate every confrontation that hasn’t escalated to violence already by putting in the mouthpiece. Once I put it in, the inmates get an unsettled look on their face and give up. On reflection, I realize that it sends the message that I practice fighting, that I like to fight, and that the time for words is over.
Recently an inmate was throwing things and cursing in an open unit. I was called to remove him. The other inmates saw me walk in, putting on gloves, and chewing on a mouthpiece. I started to hear them say, “Oh [man]! He’s about to get his [butt] whupped.” The inmate ran upstairs, and the post officer was right behind him.
When I got to the top of the stairs, The inmate had his fists up in a bladed stance and was threatening to punch the post officer. I smiled and put in my mouth guard. His eyes got big, and he turned around and put his hands behind his back. I cuffed him and he told me that he was hearing voices. He said that his dead mom was talking to him, and another voice was telling him to kill people. In the middle of a psychotic episode a smile and a mouth guard brought him back to reality.
I was glad that I didn’t have to fight him, because he needed mental health help, not a beating. As I walked down the stairs, I was patting him on the shoulder and promising to get him help. The other inmates got to see that we can be compassionate if they make the right decision not to fight. I took him to medical and he was moved to more appropriate housing.
Move like a predator. My movements and my speech are usually measured and deliberate. If you watch the top predators in nature and human environments, they move at their own pace. Lesser predators and prey scurry around when they enter the area. I move like I’m on a mission, without appearing hurried.
I move relatively slowly and will talk for as long as I can to avoid violence. But, when it is time to use violence, I move very quickly.
I recently helped to persuade a violent inmate to exit his cell. The officer in front of me was trying to talk to him. But the inmate was showing a long list of pre attack indicators, and I knew the time for talking was past. I jumped forward, grabbed the inmate’s elbow, and pulled him off the bunk he was standing on. The officer tried to grab an arm and was pulled violently, through the cell door, with the inmate. I handcuffed the inmate, and it was over before anyone got hurt.
After we were done, the officer said, “[Dang]! You move fast for an old man! I was talking and planning what I was going to do and, the next thing I know, I was just along for the ride.”
Top predators slowly scan their environment. Prey use darting glances to look for threats. I look at people for a measured amount of time, generally 2-3 seconds. When I look away, I look to the side, never down. Looking down is submissive.
If you never make eye contact, it shows weakness. If you look too long, it is a sign of aggression. If I make prolonged eye contact, I have already committed to using violence. Used appropriately, it can back down a person who wasn’t fully committed to fighting. Know that, if you make prolonged eye contact, they may call your bluff. Be ready to act.
An officer that I work with uses a technique that has been very successful for him. I haven’t tried it yet. But it’s intriguing. He responds to every inmate request with, “Yes.” For instance, “Boss, can I come out of my cell?”. He would reply, “Yes, when everyone else comes out.”
He said that inmates are so used to hearing, no, and preparing to argue that it throws them off. Instead of arguing, many of them thank him and then leave him alone.
I have also had to learn to adapt to trends that have changed many aspects of our jobs. About a year ago, I was going to pat down an inmate returning from programs. They told me that they were a woman, and I was not allowed to touch them. 29 years ago, the appropriate response would have been to force the issue and use violence if I encountered resistance.
I liked the building sergeant and didn’t want to cause issues for him. So, I put the inmate in a holding cell and went to talk to him. He told me that the new rules made it extremely difficult to search anyone who said that they were female. We are not allowed to touch them like we touch males.
I could have given up or I could have pressed the issue. Instead, I decided to be creative. I told the inmate that the worst part of my job is touching other people. I didn’t want to touch them, and they didn’t want me to touch them.
So, they were going to have to do the search for me, to avoid me touching them. I had them run their fingers over their ears and shake their hair out. Then, they put their hands under their shirt ran them under their armpits and over their shoulders while vigorously shaking their shirt. Then they put their hands in the waist of their pants, almost to the elbows, and moved them from front to back while shaking out the pants. The only thing I had to check was the shirt pocket.
We all know how jail searches aren’t always thorough. I once found a joint on top of an inmate’s ear. He had been in jail for three days and no one had found it. He hadn’t smoked it because he couldn’t find a way to light it.
My inmate had just received a more thorough search than 90% of the inmates in our facility. They told me that I should be the model for how to treat transgender inmates. The inmate asked me if a commendation from them would get me promoted to captain or major, because I should be running the jail. That inmate wrote a glowing commendation about my actions. I was able to turn the potential for a violent confrontation into a win for both sides. If I had let my ego take over, things would have gone a lot worse. I don’t have to like the new rules, I just need to be able to adapt to them.
I also start my interactions with inmates with a smile and a good morning or good afternoon. Even the angry ones have trouble staying angry after a friendly greeting. I also use please and thank you a lot. An officer who is in control doesn’t have to be mean or hyperaggressive to intimidate inmates. Predators know this and will respect you more, if they know that you are being polite out of respect and not out of fear. I usually get better compliance and, if I must raise my voice or use force, they look like the bad guy and not me.
The caveat to that approach is that you must be immediately ready to respond with violence. Being kind can be misconstrued as weakness and you could be seriously injured if you are being kind and gentle instead of being polite.
When I fight, I am going 100%. No one has hurt me in a fight, but I usually end up hurting myself. I have seen many of my coworkers injured in fights. If you want a long healthy career and an enjoyable retirement, avoid fights as much as possible. Your body, your family and your agency will thank you for it.
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Senior Deputy Mark Knight has worked for a large sheriff’s office in Central Texas for the last 29 years. He is a master peace officer and a mental health officer. Deputy Knight developed and teaches a course on the physiological and psychological response to fear and extreme stress. He has worked extensively in the jail, in patrol, on SWAT, (as a sniper and a breacher), as a School Resource Officer, and is currently assigned as an instructor at the training academy. Deputy Knight can be reached at tactical24@gmail.com.