5. Language is another of the outward marks by which you will be judged and through which
you influence your prisoners. Speak plainly and clearly. Make your sentences short, simple,
positive, and direct. If you must use terms that may not be clearly understood, explain their
meaning. Avoid talking down to your prisoners.
6. It is the responsibility of the correctional supervisor to make verbal corrections when
necessary. These should be direct, dignified, and in moderate language. Immoderate language
invariably produces unfavorable results in the individual. To use profane or obscene language,
especially in giving orders, is to risk friction, resentment, quarreling, and even insubordination.
Personnel resent being sworn at by their seniors. They feel, and rightly so, that the senior has taken
unfair advantage of his authority. The same applies to any immoderate language. A bawling out is
commonly resented as a personal attack. It is, in fact, more often an expression of anger than a
proper correction. The point at issue is obscured and the matter becomes a personal clash between
individuals. Basically, profane, obscene, or other immoderate language must not be used or
permitted.
7. Criticism or condemnation of an entire group should be particularly avoided. It is not likely
that you will ever have a group that will deserve a wholesale reprimand. Nothing creates
resentment so readily in a prisoner as to be included unfairly with others who may deserve
disciplinary action.
8. A correctional supervisor should be dignified by being worthy or honorable. It requires the
control of one's actions and emotions. A correctional supervisor who makes a spectacle of himself
through loudness or lack of emotional control quickly loses the respect of prisoners.
9. The leader should have the ability to make decisions promptly and to announce them in a
clear confident manner. Many situations have more than one solution. The wise leader gets all the
facts, weighs one against the other, and then calmly and quickly arrives at a sound decision.
10. The leader who has a high sense of duty will continually put forth his best efforts in an
attempt to achieve the highest standards of performance. He performs his duties to the best of his
abilities and does not make excuses for shortfalls.
11. In confinement and correctional facilities, the stakes are too high to place prisoners in the
hands of personnel with questionable integrity. Decisions must be made that affect the future lives
of prisoners. There must be the assumption that information and reports submitted concerning
prisoners are absolutely truthful. There is no compromise. The military profession does not permit
the slightest deviation from the highest standards of personal integrity.
12. As a correctional supervisor you may be called upon to render recommendations in matters
of clemency and punishment. Your decisions are a test of your fairness. It takes a long time to
build up a reputation for being fair. One thoughtless error or injustice can destroy a good reputation
that took months to establish.
PART- I - Interpersonal Communications (IPC)
1. IPC skills directly influence attitudes and behaviors. To develop these skills you must
understand what makes people respond to others and behave as they do. A person's response to
another person's behavior can be influenced by age, race, experience, training, the behavior itself,
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