DEER LODGE - At the Montana State Prison, they’re doing a special training where correctional officers are learning a lot of techniques including dealing with an unruly inmate.
“This being ... the academy being here at MSP for the first time is huge,” Correctional Officer Winston Tyler Ferryman said.
The prison is hosting its first Correction/Detention Officer Basic training class. This was needed because 107correctional officers are currently due to take the course,which is normally held at the police academy in Helena. Since there's such a large class this year, the Dept. Of Corrections approved the state prison hosting its own training.
The DOC says this will ensure correctional officers will be better prepared.
WATCH: Correctional Officers Training at the Montana State Men's Prison
“They recognize that we’re investing in them as individuals and professionals, so, I think, the more we can do this type of thing for our people, more likely they are to stay,” DOC Director Eric Strauss said.
The correctional officers appreciate that this training is specifically designed for prison staff, which is a small group of people looking after a large inmate population.
“So, having the numbers, being outnumbered the way that we are definitely plays a factor in how you carry and control yourself,” Ferryman said.
While training on this day involved self-defense, much of training is focused on deescalating a situation before it becomes physical.
“There’s the possibility that someone could trigger and have a bad. Having the right tools to deescalate those situations has a huge impact on the overall tenor of organization, but also has a huge impact on the likelihood that we’re going to go home safely at the end of the day,” Strauss said.
Staff said they enjoy the camaraderie of training with fellow corrections officers. They begin each day of training with an inspirational quote.
‘My quote from this morning is: We don’t run in the rain. We are disciplined, we are impactful, and we move with intention. We do not let our mind run, we don’t let ourselves panic. So, when it starts to rain, we don’t run,” Ferryman said.
