BUENA VISTA — An infamous group of correctional officers at the old territorial prison commanded obedience and dealt punishment with violence, earning the classic nickname for prison guards: “the bulls.”
Now a new group of correctional officers use a completely different approach, where the Golden Rule applies.
Members of the nondenominational Christian “Corrections Staff Fellowship” attend twice-monthly gatherings in Buena Vista, where they pray, read Scriptures and talk about not judging prisoners.
“This has to be driven by God in the hearts of correctional officers,” said Pete Hoppin, who founded a chapter of the rapidly growing national group near a prison in Buena Vista. “Our vision is to have a chapter in every town where there is a prison.”
Men who had few good role models are more likely to mend their ways if they are first treated with dignity and respect, Hoppin said.
Hoppin, who retired after 22 years working in Colorado prisons, said about 45 parole and correctional officers regularly attend gatherings at his home, where he cooks breakfast and participants talk about using Christian ideals in dealing with work conflicts and related stresses at home.
Members include line officers all the way up to former Department of Corrections executive director Joe Ortiz.
The former DOC boss said he realized how much trouble the country was in as Colorado scrambled to fund new prisons. Correctional officers can help direct offenders in a different direction, he said.
“These are the guys who bring the message of what is appropriate behavior inside the walls,” Ortiz said.
Ruben Valdez began working in the Buena Vista prison’s cafeteria 13 months ago. He found it almost overwhelmingly stressful at times.
The inmate cooking crew of 40 must feed 900 men, many of whom demand special diets. The prisoners, some serving life prison sentences for murder, aren’t overly concerned about losing their jobs, and many will not show up just because they want to watch a TV show. Cooking disagreements in front of the stove have turned into fistfights.
“There’s always that apprehension,” he said.
He joined the fellowship shortly after he was hired. He finds the meetings useful because members have all experienced similar conflicts and offer possible solutions with a spiritual bent.
On a few occasions, when pressures seemed intolerable, he’s called Hoppin, and they have met for pizza and a more intimate discussion about work conflicts or how he was bringing his frustrations home and it was affecting his relationship with his wife.
Being a Christian doesn’t mean officers are blindly trusting or don’t maintain professional firmness, Valdez said. They do have the perspective that except for the grace of God, they too could be in the same position as the inmate, and it makes them more understanding.
Lt. John Nitsch runs a platoon of young inmates at the soon-to-be-disbanded boot camp at Buena Vista for inmates ages 18 to 30.
One day last week, he shouted out orders and taught his charges a history lesson about the Civil War battle at Gettysburg while they stood at attention in front of bunk beds.
Platoon members frequently shouted back obediently: “Sir, yes sir.”
Being a member of the Christian fellowship doesn’t mean he’ll cut them any slack. He might even invite them to do wind sprints on a dirt outdoor track until they puke.
He doesn’t preach to them. But he does pray for them every day, he said.
With the boot camp scheduled to disband in July, Nitsch has also relied on fellowship members for support. He’ll soon be transferred and have to deal with new challenges.
Prison can be a scary place, but seeing other fellowship members in the hallway and relying on prayer is comforting, Nitsch said.
“That gives us some security and peace.”
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
