By Ramon Mendoza

Maintaining an understanding of the career criminal mentality is a universal occupational hazard shared by correctional and custody officers throughout the world. Convicted felons become professional manipulators  by the nature of their predicament. They are proficient in the art of "playing" the prison system and exploiting the security loopholes that exist behind bars. These men have dedicated themselves to exercising control over their environment and this is accomplished by constantly re-inventing creative criminal trickery. The cat-and-mouse game which pits the officer against inmate has been played out since the beginning of penal history. Overcoming the calculating behavior of incarcerated offenders can be learned best from someone who has been there ..... and done that.