Q: What is the burnout rate for CO's? I gotta believe that it's really high.
A: Burnout is pretty high. Compared to other professions, Correctional Officers have some of the highest rates of depression, suicide, and divorce in the country.
I work with the worst people humanity has to offer. The constant stress of just doing my job, which entails watching my back, watching my co-workers' backs, watching the inmates' backs (it's my job to keep them safe and alive), and being ready for nearly anything to happen when I least expect it can be really draining. Throw on top of it the fact that half of the inmates would like to kill me or wouldn't piss on me if I was on fire, and it makes this place pretty inhospitable.
The kicker is that a large amount of retired officers die within the first couple of years of retirement. Most of us call it 'Decompression Syndrome'. [I'm sure there is a real name for it.] The way it was explained to me is that we get so used to the high and constant stress levels that once that stress is gone our bodies and minds can't handle it, so we either kill ourselves, or we die from natural causes. I really don't know how much science is behind this theory, but I've heard of enough guys kicking the bucket shortly after retiring that I believe something is happening. I'm sure this applies to any stressful profession.
