Читать книгу Prison Puzzle Pieces - Dave Basham - Страница 9

Because the sergeant had given Boomer a break and it worked out well, Boomer came to me and told me he had a friend that was in the same situation that he had been in. Boomers friend had been in so much trouble that he could not get hired anywhere. Boomer asked me if I would hire him and guaranteed me that this guy would do an outstanding job. He said that if his friend didn't do well, he would make him or do it himself. I told him I would talk to the guy and that if it seemed like a good fit, I'd try to get him. But I told him, I didn't need him to monitor him. I told him that his tip on a potential good worker was enough for me.

Getting this guy was relatively easy because no one else wanted him. He did a great job the entire time he worked for me.

Getting tips on inmates that no one else wanted was the start of building the best swamper crew in the entire Department of Corrections. We know this because every cell block in every Minnesota state prison was inspected and evaluated. B-West came out with the best score. This was even with Stillwater being the oldest prison. Our block was the cleanest, best organized, the best maintained as far as painting, repairs and everything working properly. We achieved this because these men were given the opportunity to prove themselves. When they found out we were the best, they worked even harder. Most of them had never gained recognition from positive efforts before. They all took pride in what they had accomplished. We were the block that people were brought to see if the honchos wanted to impress them. I told the crew to not be shy about what they achieved. When people came in and commented on the block, I told the crew to step up and let themselves be identified in being part of it. In most blocks you would see swampers come out and disappear within the first half hour. In this block you could come in at anytime during the day and see at least a couple of them out working. Boomer taking a lead role setting an example was a big part of it.