Crystal, Correctional Manager
Meet Crystal, a Correctional Manager at CSC. She shares the realities and challenges Correctional Officers and Managers face as they work hard every day to keep Canadians safe.
Video transcript
The Service. For Canada.
When a woman walks down a range in a male institution, what they experience and their perspective is going to be different than a large male correctional officer. They're going to have to address the situation in a different way than our male counterparts. So it is a different experience, but in my mind that just makes it so much more rewarding.
Crystal
- With CSC for 15 Years
- Served in Afghanistan with the Canadian Armed Forces
- Proud to represent Canada
Hi, I'm Crystal, a Correctional Manager.
I joined corrections 15 years ago. Before I joined, I was with the military, the Canadian Armed Forces. I was with 50th Field Artillery Reservists and I went overseas to Afghanistan in 2008. When I came home, I was looking for an employment that I didn't have to travel so much and that was more secured in one area. So, I applied for Corrections and I got in. It was definitely up my alley from my history and where I came from. So yeah, that was 15 years ago and I have haven't regretted it since.
Working inside a prison is very different every day. You come to work and the issues that you're going to address can be anything from a staff conflict or a challenging inmate or even pigeons that have drugs attached to them. We have dealt with anything, you name it, I have seen. It's fascinating work and challenging in a way that the answer is not the same every time. It wasn't a natural thing, when you joined corrections and an inmate tells you off or calls you a name, it's natural to take it personally and to take it to heart. This is a difficult job. We work with people who struggle in pro-social situations and with that they can be offensive and obviously violent at some times.
To experience that and keep your humanity is the biggest challenge. To walk out those doors and leave it here and be empathetic to where they came from and how they grew up or how they got to the situation. I love the people aspect of this business, from the men we work with to the staff. Everyone has such a different experience and something else to bring to the table.
I'm proud to have the Canadian flag on my shoulder. I feel that we represent compassion and empathy and we're not about punishment. We see the human life behind the individuals we work with.
The Service. For Canada.