MovieChat Forums > Behind Bars: Rookie Year (2015) Discussion > If you're going to pay someone ONLY 15 a...

If you're going to pay someone ONLY 15 an hour

posted 8 years ago by meredithmsw
5 replies | jump to latest

and put them at high risk, do not wonder why you are getting teenagers who quit quickly. While 15 an hour is good if you work in fast food or Walmart, these folks are risking their lives daily for little money. I believe many in NM go into it because there aren't many opportunities where they live, especially if you do not go to college. This job gives them great benefits and probably a great retirement. I just worry about hiring teenagers when their minds and brains aren't fully developed, dealing with people who are giving them a nightmare daily. I would have a huge headache if I worked there.
I think it was good that the one young kid, Andrew knew to quit, his brain just wasn't there.
Lilly is tiny but she would have your back as best as she could. I give her tons of credit for sticking to this and being brave, more brave than I would be.
Punto tries to come off tough but he is coming off a bit arrogant for a rookie. That one inmate riles him up way too much and he needs to chill about it. The more he freaks out , the more the inmate has him.

Anyway, these CO's deserve at least 20 dollars an hour. Too high risk....

[–] P-rock52 8 years ago

I agree with all of what you said. It's funny cause I too gotta give props to Lilly. She may be meek and tiny but at least she's doing her job and not showing any real fear. Man, on the next episode did that little idiot make another mistake and leave the gate open?!! That just proves your point right there lol

[–] Head_Cheese74 8 years ago

Some of Rookies have said they work 16 hour shifts. For the extra 8 hours they are at least getting time and a half or even double pay. Assume it's time and a half.

15 per hour X 8 =120
22.50 per hour X 8 =180

So for a 16 hour shift thats $300 gross.

That's probably the big selling point. Working double time.

[–] TheGreatGoat 8 years ago

They make 40 000 a year with overtime. it's discussed.

[–] meredithmsw 8 years ago

People who work 16 hours a day in that hell hole should make more than 40K a year. IMHO

[–] TheQuickSilverThings 8 years ago

That prison is begging for its high turnover rate by hiring teenagers, requiring overtime, and paying their staff 40K per year.

And honestly, I think their training kind of sucks, which only makes the job more stressful and difficult.

Every few episodes, we see some of the older rookies (like Ariel, who's been there for 10 months) working in units they've never worked in before. I don't get how that happens. Why wouldn't training include rotating through EVERY unit? And if I remember correctly, Ariel was working with another officer who wasn't particularly familiar with the unit.

The week before, they had Israel who had just come off of a 12 hour shift, and had started his mandatory overtime in a unit where he had never worked before, and was given the responsibility of transporting inmates he had never interacted with out of their cells (for tier time I think, which means the inmate would not have been restrained outside of his cell). Israel was there waiting for someone to assist him (as he should have been) and all of a sudden he was told he can just transport the guy on his own. And if I recall correctly, that particular inmate was known for being unpredictable and violent. I mean honestly... WTF?

Also, I get the impression that when the rookies do their first few shakedowns, it's not always with a Veteran officer, or better yet, with the STIU at least once or twice. Usually, we see the rookies having to request a training session with the STIU. Each time one of the rookies does a shakedown, that one training officer starts talking about how these rookies need to start thinking like the inmates. How about you get STIU in there to teach them how to think like an inmate on day one? I know they probably go over this during classroom training, but seeing pictures in a slide show is very different to actually having to ruffle through an inmate's stuff while he's verbally harassing you.

Ugh... I love this show, but it infuriates me sometimes.