North Carolina Department of Correction News - September 1999

Working third shift has its advantages
Spotlight on third shift at Southern Correctional Institution

TROY — Working inside a windowless environment at night has many advantages according to the officers who work the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m shift at Southern Correctional Institution.

Inmates asleep in their cells, means a much quieter, less stressful atmosphere to work – a major advantage of working third shift. Also, officers who have small children are able to greet them as they come home from school and spend quality time with them. One officer said he saves a bundle on day care costs. Another advantage is that officers rotate duties every ninety days, getting the opportunity to work every location, including a shot at the towers, (pardon the pun). Finally, the small staff creates a good camaraderie, with everyone working together.

third.jpg (12246 bytes)
Officer in charge, Capt. Sorrell Saunders (right) discusses staff assignments with Lt. William G. Hayes.		 Many of the 36 officers who work the night shift never intended to stay, but liked it so much, they didn’t want to change. Some, like officer Wayne Currie, have worked third shift ever since the prison opened 17 years ago.

Officers begin to arrive at the prison around 9:30 p.m., meeting in the break room to await their night’s instructions.

Sergeants D. Beane, V. Moore and J. Roark meet to make assignments and decide who will check the towers and boiler rooms, who will make the rounds at the unit, and who will check the medical jackets.

Capt. Sorrell Saunders, the officer-in-charge, is responsible for dispensing medication.

He and Lt. Hayes huddle at another table assigning officers to either the control rooms, towers, or inside the cellblocks which are named for different countries, Canada, Denmark, England, Falkland and Greenland.

Capt. Saunders calls out the roll to the officers who have lined up around the perimeter of the break room. He admonishes everyone to be safe before they leave. They head off to relieve the officers on second shift. At night, three officers supervise three wings of 114 inmates, compared to four officers during the day.

third2.jpg (6565 bytes)
Sgt. Derwin Beane is one of 36 officers working the night shift at Southern.		 Even though third shift is quieter, there’s still plenty of work to do. Officers must make the rounds every hour to make sure inmates are still breathing. If they are unsure, officers knock on the cell window and make them move. The prison is cleaned and floors buffed by inmate janitors. Fire extinguishers are checked once a month. Kitchen workers start work at 4 a.m. to prepare breakfast for the 729 inmates.

Capt. Saunders pointed out the number of experienced people working third shift, and how Southern C.I. seems to be the training ground for many who have been promoted outside the prison, people such as Mike York, Ed McMichael, Mike Bumgarner, David Osborne, Jerry McQueen, Carol Stamey, Bobby Burleson, Wade Hatley, Margie Lawler, and Roy Harvell.

Third shift may be quieter than first or second shift, but officers say they are more cautious on third shift because they have less staff. First shift has 57 officers and second shift has 53 officers. But those daytime officers, working when the noise decibels are almost deafening, would have to strain to hear the quiet, "thanks man," coming from inside a cell.  u

NC DOC Homepage
NC DOC News
NC DOC WEB Index
E-mail NC DOC