When Donald Bosley decided in 1995 to become a corrections officer, his kids told him he was too old to go to the academy.

When he was chosen to work at the Scott Correctional Facility, he was told that working with female prisoners would be too difficult.

But the 53-year-old Bosley decided he could face those challenges and win. And win he did. The grandfather of three, long-time youth volunteer, ex-Marine and mental health worker was named Michigan’s Corrections Officer of the Year for 2000.

Bosley, an officer in the Residential Treatment Program (RTP) at the Scott facility since he joined the department, already has his eye on a new job.

“I’d like to work with mentally ill male prisoners,” he said. “I see that as a new challenge.”

Mental health experts and fellow officers in the unit praise Bosley’s observational skills, as well as his consistency.

“Prisoners know what to expect from him,” said Jeanne Ross, unit chief. “He gets the prisoners to do what they’re supposed to do with a minimum of fuss.”

“He’s a very mature and patient officer,” said Officer Brenda Caldwell, who trained Bosley and works with him in the unit.“He has good communication skills and has the respect of other officers as well as prisoners.”

The RTP unit houses prisoners who are mentally ill and cannot live in general population but who do not require hospitalization. The unit is administered by employees of the Department of Community Health.

Scott Warden Joan Yukins is pleased
with the selection of Bosley:

“I am proud of the contributions that RUO Bosley has made to the RTP program and the Scott facility team effort. It is my priveledge to work with a staff member that is so highly respected by staff and prisoners. He is a positive role model for all staff, prisoners and citizens in the State of Michigan.”

“I promised God that if I got out alive I’d spend the rest of my life in service to others,” he said.

He took a special interest in helping children, in part, he said, because of all the suffering Vietnamese children he saw during the war. After he returned home, he donated his time coaching kids in the Romulus Athletic League and in helping to prevent teen suicides by speaking at high schools and before youth organizations about the topic.

After the war he came to Michigan from Ohio to work for the Ford Motor Company. Later, he joined the former Department of Mental Health as a child care worker at two psychiatric hospitals, the most recent at the Detroit Psychiatric Institute. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Concordia College in Ann Arbor.

Bosley has found working with the mentally ill rewarding. Some of the children he worked with in Detroit still write to him and one is attending West Point.

As a certified substance abuse counselor, he leads groups of Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous at the Scott facility.

“Some of these women’s lives have been like they were living in a war zone,” he said. “They’ve been abused and neglected. I try to convince them to put it behind them and move forward. Some have thanked me for helping them.”

Being named Officer of the Year is “the icing on the cake. The real rewards come when I’m able to help someone and in gaining the respect of my fellow officers,” Bosley, a member of the prison’s Emergency Response Team, said. Being an officer requires special observational skills, Bosley said. “I try to pay attention to behavior so I can head off a problem before it escalates into a real crisis.” Appropriate intervention is important, too. You have to be able to assess the situation and decide quickly how best to proceed so you can avoid a confrontation. Sometimes that requires talking; sometimes you have to postpone a discussion until the prisoner is calmer.”

The RTP at Scott is small – 39 prisoners – allowing Bosley an opportunity to know each prisoner and be aware of changes in behavior that might signal a pending crisis. As a man working in a prison for women, Bosley believes his award also honors the other male officers working in female prisons.

“All the male housing unit officers I know are honorable and professional,” he said. “They would never become involved in inappropriate behavior with prisoners. As a male officer you sometimes get accused of sexual misconduct because some women use that threat to try to manipulate officers. If it happens you just have to carry yourself with pride, not let anyone scare you.”