I simply can't believe what I'm seeing on your site. I've been a corrections officer for over 14 years and have never seen most of this. How can you stereotype1 all of us as being the same? I have always treated inmates with the same respect and dignity that they [show] me, even more so as I'm supposed to be a "professional." I'm not saying there are not "bad eggs" among us, surely there are, but MOST of us are not that. Most of us are doing a job, trying to be as professional as we can be. I'm well paid for what I do as you know. I feel that most of us exercise care, custody and control2 in a proper manner. I have a family, a wife and three children of my own. Do you think it's easy for me when an inmate in my care finds out that he's lost a child, spouse or parent? I've had to deal with such situations many times. Do you think we don't feel that? You paint us all with one very broad brush. Is that fair of you? Surely, you must realize that after working a cellblock for any [length] of time, a CO3 develops a rapport with the inmates in his charge. Would you have any idea how it feels for one of us to see a guy we knew would make it (hopefully due in part to some little contribution we may have had) come back on a parole violation? Let me tell you, it sucks. I don't want to make this too long, I just want to let you know that I feel you are being very unfair to the majority of COs in this state. Most of us do care. I know I do. I got your website [URL] from a paper at work. It was to take political action against your posting all our addresses on your site. Barbara,4 why would you want to post my home address5 on your website? Surely, you of all people, with your contention that COs are brutal beasts,6 must realize that there are also inmates and inmates' family members who are equally as brutal.7 Why would you want to jeopardize my family by posting all COs' addresses?8 This would not seem to be an action of a caring person. Editorial Footnotes By Edgar Saint George Editor In Chief 1 How can the public and press stereotape all prisoners? We only give what we get. 2 "Care, custody and control" is a Department of Corrections cliche used to justify and define what the Department and its staff are supposed to be doing. 3 "CO" is a shorthand for corrections officer. 4 The letter is directed to Barbara Kestler, webmaster/manager. 5 Our intention is to post only the public information, the employees' counties of residence and/or voting, not street addresses. They are available at many other places online along with credit and personal information by the ream. 6 We have never characterized guards as brutal beasts, more like self-important bullies and drones. 7 This is a typical guard's argument. He thinks he's so important that a prisoner (who doesn't even have access to site) will revenge himself on a guard. The truth is that prisoners simply want to be away from guards like escaping a bad smell. 8 Certainly we don't want to endanger guards, their families or anybody, but there is simply no legitimate reason for such paranoia. Guards must have very guilty consciences, or they are judging other by themselves. The information we intend to publish has been public information available in the State Library for eighty years! No one has ever been hurt by it.