The best time of year

Well, it's coming up on annual recertification time again. I get to work (probably the bubble again) for two days and then I'm off to training for a whole week. Three days of sitting in an overheated classroom, one day of beating each other up learning Defensive Tactics and one day out in the snow and rain on the range with those POS plastic glock pistols.

Joy.

I understand why we have to go. For the most part, it's a good thing. But some of the topics they choose for us to learn..... I just don't know. They've dropped the interesting classes, like "Controversial Groups" which is about gangs. But the state has chosen the stance that there are no gangs in our prison system. That's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I could go through my house alone (just one house out of twelve) and come up with at least seventy five offenders with prominent gang tattoos and almost every cell has got gang graffiti on the walls. Instead they have chosen we learn "Pathways To Change"... about teaching offenders positive skills they will use when they get out of prison. I don't really want to say anything negative about that. The last guy who did ended up getting chewed out by the Major. I get enough of that without help.

They even dropped Suicide Intervention. Why? Doesn't that seem like something we all need to know?

The state, it seems, like trees and butterflies, blows hither and yon with the wind.

I can't wait.