I think most everyone has seen the movies and TV shows “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Orange is the New Black,” “Wentworth” and “The Green Mile.” They always seem to show the corrections officers as the bad guys, assaulting inmates, bringing in drugs and cell phones, you know, the typical Hollywoodization of a job that makes the story work.

Many people who are reading this may have the perception that correction officers carry night sticks and walk around the yard or sit in a gun tower with their high-powered rifle. You might be surprised to find out that correction officers do not carry clubs, or any weapon for that matter, and that some correction facilities don’t even staff most gun towers.

Many people don’t know a corrections officer personally. But let’s look at who we are.

Corrections officers are an important part of the criminal justice system. We oversee and participate in the custody, security, and treatment of prisoners in correctional facilities.

Most officers don’t go around boasting about what they do for a living. We tend to keep a low profile. We are volunteer coaches and firefighters. With the training we get as corrections officers, we make excellent first responders. Basically, we are regular family people, mothers and fathers who go to their kids’ dance recitals and school plays. We are the person you see at school functions who doesn’t get into the middle of the crowd but tends to stay out on the edges where they can see everything that’s going on around them.

That’s because corrections officers suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder at more than double the rate of military veterans in the U.S., according to Caterina Spinaris, the leading professional in corrections-specific clinical research and founder of Desert Waters Correctional Outreach, a nonprofit based in Colorado. And according to one statistical archive, correctional officers have a 39 percent higher chance of suicide than the average for other occupations.

Why? Inmate fights are common and seeing them, or cleaning up after them, can cause trauma. Repeatedly witnessing violence, injury and death for years takes a toll on a person. Because we face the risk of seriously bodily harm every day.

You might think we could just lock each inmate in an individual cell, feed them bad food and never allow them out of the cell until it’s time to leave. But modern-day prisons aren’t like that at all. Inmates are mostly allowed to leave their cells or bunkrooms, eat meals together, congregate and exercise in an open yard, attend religious meetings, and work or attend classes while in custody.

Is it more work for us? Yes, but corrections officers aren’t there to just keep prisoners in cells. We are law enforcement members who manage, mentor and lead inmates to live better lives after their release.

Corrections is a professional field that requires loyalty, bravery and dedication. We are professionals, doing the best we can and striving to do better every day. The sense of comradery amongst officers is, in fact, humbling. Much like the military, we band together in esprit de corps, making sure we can count on each other when dangerous situations arise.

There are about 200 corrections officers in the Baraga area, plus prison counselors, nurses, secretaries and other corrections employees. We care about the community and give back to ensure it thrives.

May 6-12 is National Correctional Officers Week. This week is your opportunity to thank corrections officers for the dangerous and difficult job they do every day. If you know a corrections officer, take a minute to thank them for their service.

I hope you have a better understanding now of corrections officers and the unique pressures we face. We appreciate the support of our neighbors in Baraga and surrounding communities.

Editor’s note: Doug Gilbertson has been a corrections officer at Baraga Correctional Facility since 2008. He is the president of Michigan Corrections Organization’s Baraga chapter. More on MCO is at mco-seiu.org.