I could seriously go on and on about night shift. I've been on the night watch for 6 months. We get screwed over like no other. Like when they call you at 1400, (which is your 0200) and they think nothing of it.

Or all of the ridiculous training that goes on. For example, you work over the weekend, get off Monday morning only to have training all day Tuesday. Exactly when are you supposed to sleep? Then you have to stay up all Tuesday night, so you can sleep Wednesday morning to work Wednesday night.

The list goes on and on.

We may have less inmate contact, but we pay for it through sleep deprivation.

As far as accomplishing more things (finding contraband etc), that's definately easy to do.

Child Molesters - haha, We call them "Cho-Mos"

I've worked nights now for going on 11 yrs.

Everything you have said is true.................has been true..............and always will be true.

FACT OF LIFE pretty much no one respects night shifters.......................but ask them to work a shift and they will find every excuse in the book to keep from having to do the shift.


Almost everyone will tell you to your face that they don't see how you do it..........................................then behind your back (or even to your face) complain about all night shift does is sleep.

In our facility shakedowns are impossible on the night shift. we do an awful lot of paperwork between our rounds of the living units. We do fire runs of the out buildings.

Several years ago, I told my Security Director that he was not to call me at home prior to 4 pm unless they lost a cellblock. It took me hanging up on him 3 times before he took the hint.

My last temper tantrum involved having to order my staff to come in at 9:30 am for a 4 hour training class....(they also had a choice of 2:30 pm).......after getting off duty at 6 am. One of the other supervisors said it was a classic..........I think the stapler bounce off two walls..................................they rescheduled the class for 6 pm.


Did I mention the fact that I really don't give a hoot what either the boss or any of the other administrators think of my tactics.......................16 months to EOS.

What pisses me off most is when you write a bunch of cases. Then they call you for court (when you're on your time off) on your days off at 1300(when you're used to sleeping), they wake you up, and then they ask you why you are asleep at 1 o'clock in the after noon. I had that happen to me 3 times; I told the lady that I was asleep because I had to go to work in 3 hours. You better believe I bitched her out good.

I was on night shift for two months back in 05 and I hated it. Never could get use to sleeping in the daytime.

i've been on graves and officers there did sleep, played cards and most of them tried to get out of working as much as they could. i am on days now, same thing, no difference there either. there are those that work and those that don't work on all shifts and no shift can seriously talk about another shift. as for shaking down living areas. on graves we were not allowed to do that after midnight and i really, really, really wanted to. i LOVE shake downs.
i do remember on several occasions me driving home in the morning from graves and nearly falling to sleep at the wheel. one of the sgts had an accident that way. worked graves and the day before that had to do something work related and bam...ran into another vehicle because he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.
the sleep issue i think is a very serious one.

Well I remember the first time I worked nights was about 28 years ago and I had an extremely difficult time adjusting. As the years have gone on though I have worked on making nights work. Its now my favorite shift. I do the things that make it work for me and I love it. As far as what the other shifts say I could care less, I know I do my job and I don't sleep!! It works for me and my life. I have my windows in the bedroom covered and it works. I also use melatonin on occasion but not very often. I have to have a routine. As far as not getting as much sleep, there are plenty of people working days that don't get enough sleep. The only thing that helps them stay awake easier is the sunshine. The Sleep foundation website gives tips for sleeping during the day National Sleep Foundation - Information on Sleep Health and Safety |.

The people that say how can you do it I just say, "How can you work Day watch, with all the bosses running around criticizing your every move." Think about how much less stress we deal with. I talked to someone who was disucussing the findings about working shift work was harder on your health and I think they always pick the people who hate it anyway and they hate anything that is not in their eyes, "normal."

I say if you like working nights good for you, if you don't, don't assume we are all sleeping when we do work and be glad someone does it so you don't have too.

It's like that in nursing, too. I've worked both- but in the past 6 months... mostly nights (1900-0730). I've never heard so much bologna about night shifters in my life until nursing. Nights was a pretty sweet set-up; the administration was gone and most of the docs were asleep. We would be busier than heck- but it was worth it without all of the other commotion. I learned a lot of autonomy as a nurse working nights- the resource people were gone!

I personally loved nights; it was the sleep I couldn't get used to. I went to great lengths trying to make it work- foil on the windows, etc. I just couldn't get the hang of it.

Unfortunately, smack talk about nights isn't just along one profession.

I personally have always like working 2nd shift 1400 - 2200, I prob could not stay awake on 3rd shift and do not like working with all the brass on 1st shift.........2nd is busy and my day goes by so much faster, unless of course I am in ID check or an outside picket.....

I only work nights once every 20 something weeks and have mine coming up very soon. Personally I enjoy working night (2000-0730) because I can get a lot more paperwork done and catch up on things that are just not possible during the normal day shifts. All the lovely little cons are locked up and except for answering a bell for more toilet roll, or waiting 20 mins or so to take it up, (does that happen?!?!?!?!) I can catch up on my paperwork and lifer reports.

I dont find it a tough shift with regards to staying awake, if anything, I'm a bit more wary especially of the sounds and noises that rattle down the wings and landings. When I get home I'm good to go with regards to sleeping during the day but the best thing about working nights...its the following week off once you have completed your 7 night shifts!!