What is Reddit's opinion of
Games Criminals Play: How You Can Profit by Knowing Them?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
By popularity on Reddit, this product is:
12 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
I agree with everyone. Guy is a royal dick. Abusers test their victims. When their victims dont set boundaries, they escalate. You can read about this in the book Games Criminals Play by Bud Allen and Diana Bosta. Its aimed at prison guards, but it helped me and Im not even a guard. GCP breaks it down in atomic detail. https://www.amazon.com/Games-Criminals-Play-Profit-Knowing/dp/0960522603
I bet you a million this motherfucker would've tested you in additional ways.
I've worked in a prison with offenders and it's a very similar phenomenon. It's sad, but you might want to read Game Criminal Play to get some insight.
How to Hustle and Win. A survival guide for the Ghetto. https://www.ebay.com/itm/How-to-Hustle-and-Win-A-Survival-Guide-for-the-Ghetto-Part-1-Supreme-Understa-/174512406969?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292
And How to Down a Duck. http://www.phylon-tgonzalez.com/downingaduck.html
Games Criminals Play: How You Can Profit by Knowing Them https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960522603/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_NsCTFbANRJ6A8
​
Older book, but the games don't change much
When I first heard about this, I was reminded of a book about how convicts scam & blackmail correction officers. Someone on Reddit recommended Games Criminals Play: How You Can Profit by Knowing Them. One chapter is available here.
Some posts in subreddits for correction officers (or prison guards, if you prefer) mention this book; that it is required reading in the Bureau of Prisons (federal lockup) and very strongly recommended in California's state prison system. Getting "too close" (the industry term is "overfamiliarity") is a career ending move for people who work/volunteer in prisons.
Longtime Oregon corrections nurse here.
I assume you're in the US?
The most important thing you can do is to accept that the culture in corrections is different than in the "outside/free world." Like it or not, that's how it is. For example, have you ever traveled to a country where the primary language was English, but not American English? Most of the words mean the same thing, but if you assume that this means that all the words mean the same thing, you could get yourself in trouble. And if you assume that because in the US, most people appreciate a hearty handshake, a loud greeting, and all-you-can eat buffets that this holds true around the world, be prepared for more trouble. This is why we get the reputation of "Ugly Americans."
Jail and prison cultures are much the same. Later I'll explain the difference between jail and prison and their cultures, but many ways that correctional culture is different than "outside/free world" cultures are:
*Corrections has a paramilitary organizational structure, including a chain of command. For example, if you have a problem with something to do with Security, you do NOT go to the manager of Security. You talk to YOUR manager, and THEY talk to Security. They might authorize you to talk to Security, and if they do, be sure to mention that your manager authorized it. And do NOT take the "It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission" attitude. Unless something is actually on fire, always use the chain of command.
In the US, and especially in Health Care, we like to think that "we're all equal here." I have heard my coworkers say many times "I can't treat the inmates like second-class citizens." Again, the paramilitary structure demands that you must treat the inmates differently than staff. It might be easier to think of the situation as more of a teacher/student relationship; if you were a teacher, you would treat your students a certain way, even if you were close in age, yes?
I cannot overemphasize this principle. The inmates are NOT your friends, coworkers, peers, etc. They are inmates, and expect to be treated as such. I don't mean treat them badly at all, but you have to have that "command presence" when you're in their presence. They expect you to be in charge.
This also means that YOU control the interactions they have with you. You choose the topics, decide whether to answer their questions, and cut the conversation short and give them a warning when they get out of line. They need to see that you are ALWAYS in control. For example, when an inmate says "Your hair looks nice today," or "That big ring must means that someone really loves you," you MUST cut them off. On "the outside," comments like that would be considered benign, but in corrections, they are over the line, and MUST be corrected, NOT just ignored. If you ignore them, the inmate(s) will assume that you don't mind them addressing you that way, and continue or even escalate.
That doesn't mean that you can't use humor. One day, I was standing behind the medication cart when an inmate I knew leaned his elbow on the cart (inappropriate), smiled and said "What's up, Buttercup?" I immediately pounded my fist on the cart (marking my territory) and in a very stern voice replied, "That's NURSE Buttercup to you!!" He laughed, and occasionally called me "Nurse Buttercup" for the next few months, but he never said anything like that to me again. If I had not put him in line, he may well have started complimenting my hair, jewelry, attitude, etc. in an attempt to ingratiate me.
In the "outside/free world," you honor your patients by ensuring privacy during your encounters, giving them your full attention, and basically giving them the impression that they're the center of your universe. In corrections, you are expected to make sure that they know that they're NOT the center of your universe, that you have other appointments scheduled for that day, that they aren't the sickest people there, and that you're sort of in a hurry. I used to work in an ER, and this part of the culture is very similar. If you don't give this impression, the inmate may think that you are attracted to them, or at least an "easy mark."
I had worked in acute care for 18 years before going to corrections, and the most difficult part for me was finding ways to be therapeutic without violating these cultural mores. In acute care, if a patient was crying, I could give them a hug and bring them hot chocolate. I would be required to tell them when their upcoming tests and procedures would occur, and keep in touch with their families. One time, I brought a long-term hospital patient a cherry pie; another time I brought KFC to someone who was having a craving. All of these actions are what I would now call "the easy stuff." So how do I comfort inmates who are sick or injured and scared? Some techniques include:
"If you were my brother, I would recommend this plan of care."
"Our contract podiatrist is very good. Some of the employees get treated in his office."
"I have scheduled an appointment with your doctor on Thursday, and I'll be curious as to what they have to say. If you want to, poke your head into the cubicle here and tell me how it went." Note that in this conversation, it's always best to avoid saying anything like "I'll check on that and get back to you." I can explain more if necessary.
And now, for some reading material:
Here's an article from my state about what seems like a silly issue, but if really about employee compromise:
Here's a link to corrections 1, a corrections blog. I recommend that you read as much as possible, because you will get a much better picture of the culture:
And here's the book that new employees are all encouraged to read. It's not a particularly well-written book, but it addressed the specific issues that you will need to know:
https://www.amazon.com/Games-Criminals-Play-Profit-Knowing/dp/0960522603
Feel free to PM me or reply and ask any questions that you want.
I’ll link them to my Amazon…not sure if they are available outside of the USGames Criminals Play
I bought these books after a run-in with a person with a hardcore antisocial personality disorder at one of my jobs, and I wish I had had read them before I ever met that person. It would have saved so much trouble. The overlap from the prison/jail system into the behavioral health system is huge huge huge-and a lot of behaviors are seen in both settings.
I have to stress though that not everyone in a psych setting is out to con and manipulate and use people-a good chunk of people are benign with mental disorders and/or addiction issues. there is that percentage, though, you have to keep on your toes around and it’s not always evident. Nursing school does not teach you how to create boundaries and how to watch for red flags of manipulation-there’s no time for that and most ppl don’t want to do psych anyway, so they don’t delve deep into that.
Is this the book?
One is this sweet gem and the other is this bad boy
Tho this book says nothing about prison or prisoners its actaully all about the same and how to deal.
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/0960522603
Always strictly follow and enforce the rules.
Popular alternatives to Games Criminals Play: How Y...
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
