Rex Gerber wanted to be a Deputy or a Police Officer, but it wasn’t meant to be, as destiny had a different path for Rex. After he graduated from Western Oregon University, in 1991 – with a degree in criminal justice – he was hired by the California Department of Corrections in 1993. Recently, after 27 years, he retired from CDCR, leaving behind, once and for all, the job that required him to work inside of the barbed wire and electrical fence. He had a successful career as a Sergeant for CDCR, a job that takes a huge toll on one’s psyche. The psychological and physical demands of the job, the always imminent danger of being around criminals leaves psychological scars on those who choose this line of work. On the upside, the job has great benefits and the possibility to retire at the age of 50 years old – provided you have worked for at least 20 years with the department. I have known Rex for more than five years, whom I consider a friend – one cool guy with a dry sense of humor, a man with many stories, some quite funny. He was kind enough to share with me a few things about him and his career as a CO/Sergeant for CDCR. Below you will find my conversation with Rex, a glimpse from his life and his work behind the barbed wires for more than 27 years.
” I wanted to be a Deputy …”
When and why did you choose this line of work?
I wanted to be a Deputy or city Police officer. I graduated from Western Oregon University in 1991 with a degree in criminal justice. I was having trouble getting hired, and I must have done at least a dozen law enforcement interviews and applications. I loved living in Oregon and I wanted to stay there. My wife, at the time, wanted to be closer to her parents who are in California, and it was a constant fight between us. After about a year of trying to get hired by local police agencies, my father in law told me about the California Department of Corrections. Initially, I was reluctant, but after serious thought, I decided to apply. I nailed the interview as I had a lot of practice, to say the least. It still took another year and a half to get hired as there was a hiring freeze. At that point, I just wanted insurance, good benefits, and economic security as my oldest son was just born. Being a provider was important to me and was where I gained a lot of my self worth from. Finally, I got hired in April 1993. I had to choose the city of Blythe to live in my wife at the time, but I didn’t like living there. It was hot as hell, and after I spent three miserable summers there, I transferred to before to VSP Chowchilla. I seemed to fit in pretty well, and I was pretty good at the job. From the very beginning, I gained some respect from the fellow correctional officers and my supervisors. It seemed like the perfect job for me. I no longer wanted to be a Deputy or City cop as I seemed to flourish into the job I had. It was a secure job that I enjoyed it and I made great money that allowed me to live a pretty comfortable life. I just seemed to fit in and I was content and happy.
– If you were 21 years old now, would you choose the same career path?
– I think that I would have gone into the medical field RN or something like that. Again it would have to be a job with benefits and retirement – a job where I could provide for my family.
– What does it take to make it into retirement without getting hurt and still in good mental health?
– It takes good judgment… I worked a ton of overtime, and this is probably one of my biggest regrets. It took a heavy toll on my body, and it hurt my health and overall mental health. I missed out on a lot of life experiences. I think that is one of the biggest mistakes that people that work for the CDCR make – they work many hours and they don’t realize that later in life all that wear and tear would weigh heavy on their overall health. From 1995 to 2012, I worked with female inmates, probably one of the most difficult population to deal with. They were a constant pain in the but, and there was drama every day. I don’t want to bad-mouthing women – just the way it is. You can ask many of my coworkers, and all of them would tell you that working with female inmates is the toughest job inside CDCR.
– Working as a CO drains you emotionally and mentally. What do you do in order to keep your emotional and mental health state in balance??
– The balance wasn’t my strong point. (smiles). As I said, I worked a ton of overtime and it screwed me up. I wish I had known better…well, in life, you reap what you sow.
” My nice paycheck and good retirement”
– What do you find fulfilling about your job, and what makes you upset about this job?
– The answer is simple – my nice paycheck and a good retirement(smiles). Sometimes I run into a former inmate in the free world and they report to me how good they are doing. I like to hear success stories. Nothing makes me upset about my job. There were just a few times when I was treated unfairly by the management, but I was able to resolve it and win my grievances. I approached the job with the mindset that all I am is a small cog in a big machine and getting upset at things that I can’t control is just plain stupid. I call it CDCR maturity. I recognize things will never be run the way exactly as I want it, but so is life too. Some staff would never get that and they are miserable in their job.
– What would you say is the hardest thing about this job?
– Being in a negative environment. Every day you come to work, the big metal gate closes behind you, and you are in there for more than a quarter for your life – a free inmate if you will (smiles). Mentally drains you, but you have just been able to deal with…there is no perfect job out there.
Respect is a two-way street
– You have been with CDCR for more than 27 years – how do you get respect from the inmates and what does it take to earn that respect?
– You have to remember that you are in the human being business – inmates can be the worst people, but you still have to treat them with dignity, and it goes a long way. When you treat them with dignity and respect, you will gain influence with inmates. Expecting them to return the favor doesn’t always happen, but that is ok too, as inmates can be pretty screwed up people. You should never take it personally. Just brush it off – if you take it personally, you will be miserable, and you may not make it with the department.
– What was one of the toughest situation in your job that you were involved in, and how did you solve it?
– It was back in 2005, when a crooked staff member, a CC2 ( correctional counsel – n.a.) He tried to get me, and two of my co-workers fired, as he was in cahoots with the inmates. Long story, and don’t want to get into it too much, as it still pisses me off thinking about it. There was an investigation and, fortunately, we were, eventually, cleared, but all that experience it was one of the most unpleasant memory in my CDCR career.
– Which category of inmates are the worst to deal with and how you deal with that kind of inmates?
As I mentioned before, the female inmates were the most challenging. They don’t follow the rules, complain all the time, and challenge you every day.
Prison is not a bad place for bad guys
– Is the correctional settings in Ca a tough place? Is it hard for those incarcerated to do time?
– Great question! This is how I describe prison to people who never worked or done time in prison: imagine you are a homeless dude living under a bridge or you are living in a violent household. Imagine all you know is chaos and violence. Prison isn’t such a bad place for people like that – they have a different set of coping mechanisms, usually unhealthy ones, in dealing with predators violence and chaos. It seems normal to them. Life is better in prison for those types of people as you know you are being fed, and you get healthcare, dental, and vision. Most inmates have experienced incarceration from an early age. We call it “state raised foster homes”, county juvenile detention, Youth Authority, and then prison. Those types of inmates are more sophisticated in manipulation violence and navigating life in prison.
Now imagine you are a middle class or even rich person that ends up in prison. You no longer can make trips to the local store, you cannot control your television, sleep on a comfortable mattress, etc. Life in prison is much more difficult for them. We do our best to separate predators from prey with our classification system – murderers aren’t generally housed with people who write bad checks…
– When you get home what do you do in order to get detached and decompress from work?
– Kick back and relax – I’m good at that (smiles). I leave work at the gate I’m pretty good at that. I never take my problems home, when the gates close behind me, so does my work, otherwise you will go bonkers (smiles).
“There are no simple solutions…”
– Why so many inmates after get paroled – I read that about 60% in the first year – return to the prison?
– Not sure about those numbers, but it may be true. People are complicated, and as a result, their problems are complicated. Homelessness, mental illness, and addiction can mess up your whole life. I wouldn’t be surprised if that statistic is true. There are no simple solutions to all those problems. I wouldn’t pretend to have all the answers. I’m very glad that CDCR makes efforts and spends a great deal of money on rehabilitation.
– You retired a few weeks ago – you are a young retiree and a ” free man”, so to speak – what is next?
– True that – finally a free man after 27 years…(smiles). Honestly, I am still trying to figure that out, I am still adjusting, it is a process, but in the short run I plan to move to Oregon with my dad, who is 80 years old, and he needs help. I might continue to work or not – the future is still unwritten.
