The Pennsylvania Department of Imprisonment (euphemisticly called
the "Department of Corrections" or "DOC" even though no
"correction" is done) published one of its more humorous pamphlets
back in 1995. It's the department's "Code of Ethics."
When I got to Laurel Highlands the copy I'd used to sue a crackpot
named Michael Conti, was
seized by a guard who didn't want me to
know what he's not supposed to do. In reality the code's not nearly that
scary.
The DOC's Code of Ethics is bastardized from the general
Pennsylvania ethics law. Information about that law is available
at ethics.state.pa.us.
For a copy of the prisons' version of ethics, telephone Central
Office. Below I've summarized from the published booklet.
["inmate" really means "prisoner"]
should have an opportunity to be constructively engaged and
involved in a program of self-improvement.
Authority exercised over inmates will be fair and
professionally responsible. [That
statement is a lie!]
We recognize our responsibility to be open to and provide access
to inmate families [note that families are
regarded as "inmates" as much as the prisoners are]
, religious groups and community
volunteers.
We are sensitive to the concerns [for revenge] of victims and
their need for inclusion in the correctional [retribution] process.
We recognize that our greatest source of strength lies within our human
resources - the men and women and their families who are the Pennsylvania
DOC.
As a correctional employee, your integrity, professional
deportment and attitude demonstrated through the performance of
your duties contributes greatly to the respect, trust and
confidence afforded our agency by the public and by the inmates.
A. General Responsibility
of DOC
Employees
Consistent with the responsibility of all correctional employees
[the official text consistently misspells
"employee" as "employe;" I've corrected it and many other
errors]
of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to perform their [sic] duties
with integrity and impartiality, and to avoid situations whereby
[sic] bias, prejudice or personal gain could influence official
decisions, the following code is being promulgated.
1. Discrimination The responsibility of all
["each" is meant, not "all"]
corrections employees is to act in
relation to all citizens of the Commonwealth without regard to
age, race, color, ancestry, creed, sex, marital status, national
origin, non-job-related handicap, or political beliefs. This
necessarily includes the inmates whom we supervise and fellow
employees with whom we work. All employees are
expected to fully comply with the DOC policy prohibiting sexual harassment.
2. Conflicts of Pecuniary Interest No department employee
shall ["may" is meant, not "shall"] engage directly or indirectly in any personal business
transaction or private arrangements [sic] for personal profit which accrues
from or is based upon his/her official position or authority. The scope of
this provision shall include prohibition against entering into any type of
business transaction or private arrangement with inmates. Honorariums paid
to department officials for speaking on official topics shall be deposited
in the appropriate department fund.
<3>3. Representation of Interest No department employee
shall represent or act as an agent for any private interest,
whether compensatable or not which could reasonably expect to
result in a conflict between the private interest of the employee
and his official state responsibility. This includes, but is
not limited to, representing the interests of inmates.
With prior written approval from the Commissioner
[the Secretary of Corrections is meant]
or his designee, employees can [sic]
represent inmates in certain proceedings such as the Pardons Board
provided no conflict arises as a result of the representation.
4. Gifts and Favors Employees and their families shall
not directly or indirectly solicit, accept or agree to accept
any gift, load or service for personal benefit which would
influence the performance of their work duties or decision making.
Correctional employees shall not accept or perform favors or accept
or distribute any gifts, money or loans to or from inmates or
members of an inmate's family.
5. Information No department employee shall, for
personal gain or for the gain of others, use information not
available to the public at large, or divulge confidential
information without its authorized release; nor shall the employee
receive compensation for consultation which substantially draws
upon official ideas [how can an idea be
"official?" or data which have
not been disclosed to the public.
6. Private Employment No department employee shall
engage in or accept employment or render private services when
[sic] such employment or service in incompatible or in conflict
with the discharge of the employee's official duties or would
tend to impair the employee's independent judgment or action in
the performance of his or her duties. Requests for outside
employment must be made in compliance with Management Directive
515.18, Supplementary Employment.
Specific Rules and Regulations
Department of
Corrections
1. Each employee in the correctional system is expected
to subscribe to the principle that something positive can be
done for each inmate. This principle is to be applied without
exception.
This involves an intelligent, humane and impartial treatment
of inmates. Profanity directed to inmates, or vengeful, brutal,
or discriminatory treatment of inmates will not be tolerated.
Corporal punishment shall not be utilized under any circumstances.
2. Only the minimum amount of force necessary to defend
oneself or others, to prevent escape, to prevent serious injury
or damage to property or to quell a disturbance or riot will [sic]
be used. Excessive force, violence or intimidation will not be
tolerated. Fighting or horseplay while on duty is prohibited.
3. In the event of an emergency, all correctional
employees may be utilized for custodial services under the
direction of the superintendent or his designee.
4. Each employee is ["obliged"
is intended to appear here]
to assist in preventing escape or in pursuing an escapee as
directed by the superintendent or his designee.
5. In the event any official or employee has been
seized, no employee or official shall disregard, alter, modify,
or change in any manner the prescribed duties, responsibilities
or obligations on demand by any prisoner or plea between hostages,
regardless of consequences unless on orders from the Commissioner
or higher authority.
6. There shall be no fraternization or private
relationship of staff with inmates, parolees or members of their
families. This includes, but is not limited to, trading, bartering
or receiving gifts, money and favors from either the inmate or
the inmate's friends, relatives or representatives. Moreover,
employees are not ["allowed" is intended here]
to deliver gifts or money to
inmates' friends, relatives or representatives.
7. The personal property of inmates will be handled
with extreme care and disposed of only by properly designated
authority in a manner designated by official DOC policy.
Similarly, no employee may assume the right of ownership of
property owned by fellow employees, the state or by inmates; theft
or abuse of property or equipment is prohibited.
8. No employee shall leave his assigned post or leave
the institution or grounds without being properly relieved and
receiving proper authorization from a supervisor. Proper relief
involves communicating any special observations or orders to the
relief personnel.
9. Lawful orders by a supervisor to a subordinate must
be executed promptly and faithfully by the subordinate even though
the employee may question the wisdom of such orders. The privilege
of formally appealing the order may be done at a later date through
either the supervisory command structure or the grievance
machinery.
10. Employees are expected to treat their peers,
supervisors and the general public with respect and conduct
themselves properly and professionally at all times; unacceptable
conduct or insolence will not be tolerated.
11. All facility keys issued to employees will remain
in their possession at all times. Under no circumstances are
keys ever to be unguarded, mislaid, unaccounted for, taken from
the institution, or turned over to an inmate.
12. Employees in uniform are required to keep said
uniform in a clean and neat condition, free from decoration other
than those officially prescribed. Nonuniformed employees will
be required to meet the standards of neatness and grooming as
established by their facility.
13. Employees may use their identification as an [sic]
employee of the DOC only for identification in performance of
the duties and responsibilities required in the scope of their
employment. Department identification will not be used where
an employee may have other employment or in representing other
interests.
14. Employees will promptly report to their supervisor
any information which comes to their attention and indicates
violation of the law, rules and/or regulations of the DOC by either
an employee or an inmate, and will maintain reasonable familiarity
with the provisions of such directives.
1S. Alcoholic beverages and controlled substances shall
not be carried, stored or consumed on state property or in a state
facility or vehicle. When [sic] a controlled substance or
non-propriety drug is prescribed by a physician, the employee
shall immediately notify his supervisor and obtain prior written
approval to bring the medication onto facility grounds. Such
medication must be kept under secure control of the employee.
An employee shall not report to duty in an unfit condition.
16. Personal weapons shall not be brought onto state
property without advanced written approval of the superintendent.
17. Employees shall not testify in any civil case in which the DOC may have an interest without informing the
Commissioner, unless under court order.
18. An employee shall not use a Commonwealth vehicle
for personal business or for any other reason except as authorized.
When [sic] involved in an accident while operating a state vehicle
all employees will promptly notify their supervisor and follow
the guidelines established in the Governor's Office Administrative
Circular 76-23 dated May 6 1976 and Commissioner's memorandum
dated January 27, 1982.
19. Employees shall not read books, magazines,
newspapers or other non-job-related printed material while on
official duty. Employees are required to remain alert while on
duty; inattentiveness, sleeping or the appearance thereof is
prohibited.
20. Whenever a supervisor has reasonable grounds to
believe that an employee is being influenced by a medical or
psychiatric condition which is effecting, or is likely to effect
the employee's ability to perform assigned duties, the deputy
commissioners [sic], superintendent, bureau director or regional
director shall direct such employee to undergo reasonable
examination at the expense of the department to determine the
employee's fitness for duty.
An employee who has sustained an injury,
illness or other condition incurred in
the line of duty which could effect the employee's ability to
perform assigned duties, may be required by the deputy
commissioners, superintendent, bureau director or regional director
to undergo reasonable examination at the expense of the department
to determine the employee's fitness for duty.
An employee who has suffered an injury, illness or other
debilitating condition not incurred in the line of duty which
could effect his/her ability to perform required duty assignments,
may be required by the deputy commissioners, superintendent, bureau
director or regional director to obtain and submit a complete
medical report from his/her physician concerning his/her physical
and/or mental condition. The report shall include a detailed
explanation and prognoses of the employee's injury or illness,
[this provision clearly violates federal law]
or condition and any other
pertinent information which would aid the facility's medical
officer in evaluating the situation prior to the employee's return
to active duty.
21. An employee who knows that he /she will be unable to report
for duty due to illness, emergency or injury, shall immediately notify
his/her supervisor in accordance with their
[sic] local policy, advising the supervisor of the nature of the injury,
emergency or illness and the expected date of return to duty.
The supervisor shall also be advised of a change in any
conditions which may occur after the original notification was
given. An employee injured while on duty shall report such injury
to his/her supervisor as soon as possible and shall comply with
the provisions of existing regulations pertaining to such injuries.
An employee who becomes ill while on duty and finds it necessary
to be relived from an assigned post or duty shall report this
fact to his/her immediate supervisor and comply with #8 above.
22. An employee shall submit any necessary and/or
required work related reports in a timely manner and in accordance
with existing regulations. Reports submitted by employees shall
be truthful and no employee shall knowingly enter or cause to
be entered any inaccurate, false or improper information or data
or misrepresent the facts in any department report or record.
[This provision is almost universally violated
in most prisoner misconduct reports. Guards are (a) not good
people and (b) liars.]
23. During off-duty hours employees will conduct
themselves in such a manner so as to demonstrate the public's
trust and confidence inherent in their position as public servents.
Any conduct which brings discredit to their profession or
[being a prison guard is hardly a "profesion"]
responsibilities, the DOC or public service
at large shall be subjected to immediate discipline.
24. All ["each" is meant, not "all"]
individuals including employees
are subject to search upon entrance or egress from a state facility
or at anytime while on state property owned by the DOC.
[The DOC doesn't "own" any real estate. It's "owned"
by the Commonwealth.]
25. Personal cameras and recording devices are
prohibited from being brought onto state grounds or introduced
into DOC facilities by employees, inmates, visitors or the public
at large [
Google Maps and the rest of the Google arsenal provide detailed
views of all Pennsylvania prisons]
without the advanced written approval of the superintendent or
regional director. Similarly, such devices are prohibited from
detached duty assignment areas such as outside hospitals, etc.
26. All employees shall participate in training that
is mandatory or required by the DOC.
27. Gambling on official duty is strictly prohibited.
[This provision is utterly ignored. The guards
gamble as a matter of addiction. SCI-Smithfield is especially
blatant.]
28. All employees have the responsibility to provide
their supervisor with their current address and telephone number.
29. All employees shall comply with and cooperate with
internal investigations conducted under the authority of the DOC,
and respond to questions completely and truthfully. Procedure
in cases that may result in criminal prosecution will include
those rights accorded to all citizens of the Commonwealth.
30. No employee shall permit an inmate to be in control
or exercise authority over other inmates.
31. Corrections Officers ["guards,"
is meant, "screws," "bulls," "refuse"]
are to read, sign and fully comply with
all post orders.
32. All employees including medical staff and counselors
are required to report inmate abuse complaints
[in places such as the Frackville prison
this provision is completely ignored; too many prisoners are abused
by too many guards] or incidents
of inmate abuse to their immediate supervisors.
C. Enforecment
These rules and regulations have been written in the best
interest of the DOC, its employees and the public which we serve
and protect.[Bullshit! The prison system
doesn't "protect" anything but its own interests and
ego.] In event of a conflict
involved in interpretation, the best interest of public policy shall serve.
Any employee who violates the provisions of this code shall
be subject to immediate disciplinary action by appropriate
authority. Nothing herein shall abridge the remedies or
responsibilities of employees covered by the Civil Service Act,
applicable collective bargaining agreements, the
Governor's Code of Conduct, #1980-18 or the laws of the
Commonwealth.
In real life, DOC's Code of Ethics is window
dressing. Like a Mafia, DOC employees protect one another because
they are all so dirty. Most of the staff, particularly the guards,
don't even know the Code of Ethics exists. Those who do
know it exists, completely ignore it. Prison abuse in Pennsylvania
is very widespread. Prisoners are murdered, assaulted, exploited
and abused in a hundred ways. You could call it the Conti
Syndrome, psychotic. Lest you think otherwise, guards
and the whole imprisonment industry is staffed by bad persons.
At the Laurel Highlands prison the hobo
was afraid to even allow prisoners to know what the Code of
Ethics says.
My view is to abolish the prison system. It's a flop.
"But baby it's cold outside!"
Frank Loesser, 1949
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