Recently a member of our staff appeared in a suit involving Pennsylvania state prison guards. At a hearing, one of ordinary "corrections officers" presented a document. The document was a supposedly confidential report from the major who runs internal investigations for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. The document was boldly marked down its margin CONFIDENTIAL. Obviously, the document came direct from a prison security office. Some guard had apparently strolled into the office and stolen it. Seeing the "confidential" document explained to me why guards are so seldom busted for any of their many offenses. They have ready access to the security offices. They know when they are being investigated and can steal or destroy evidence. We all recognize that many (but, by no means all) prison guards are criminal. Mostly, the prison guards are small-time crooks, dope dealers, thugs, thieves, that sort of thing. Almost all the illegal drugs inside the prisons are smuggled by guards. Some smuggle weapons into the prisons. For example, I know a fanatic guard lieutenant who carries a knife. He flashes it around by cutting down the little clotheslines that the men string to dry their clothes. It's an intimidation ploy. In each of Pennsylvania's many prisons, there is a security office. For the most part it's the nerve center of the high-priced persecution of the prisoners, trying to catch them with an extra banana or a bet on a football game or a dirty picture (sex obsesses the prison system). The security office is also supposed to investigate offenses by the guards. In theory, the security office is there to prosecute the guards who are caught breaking the laws or the rules. There is almost no prosecution of guards. Why? It surely isn't because they are such angels. Yeah, sure, there are lots of sex cases; some deputy superintendent gets the boner for some floozy female counselor and can't keep his hormones out of his job so he gets tossed out. But how about the drug traffickers and thugs? They are never prosecuted. obviously, the guards are warned when they are under investigation. They have easy access to the security offices. If something's going on, they know about it and can cover their tracks or simply do what they did with the "confidential" document, steal it. The gullible, trusting public outside the prison system imagines that guards are honest. I never fail to be astounded by the capacity of the American peasant to be awed by authority figures. Instead of being suspicious of people who feel the need to wear uniforms, many Americans are enamored of them - sucker! When you wonder why guards aren't prosecuted, here's the answer; it's all a conspiracy of neglect. When our staffer reported the incident to the prison security major, he didn't even trouble to respond.