new to community corrections

What kind of facility is it? is it a jail? As a correctional psych RN with 10 years urban jail experience, I would say "SECURITY, SECURITY, SECURITY." Follow all of the rules and regs to the letter, and don't get drawn into trying to be the clients' friend, e.g. do special favors for one client you don't do for the others. People that wind up in correctional facilities generally are more manipulative than the regular population, and they can influence you into making mistakes in judgment that will get you fired, or worse. Try to develop a good working relationship with the other staff, because you may need them to back you up. On the other hand, working with the correctional population can be very fulfilling, as long as you respect those boundaries.

My original reply still applies about security. Other examples might be: giving a client your number or email address (or for that matter any personal info about yourself or your family). I don't want to scare you, and those common sense precautions will become second nature to you. I have enjoyed mental health nursing and more recently correctional nursing, and there is a lot of fulfillment you can get when you engage your client in making life plans, helping them reverse their patterns of low self-esteem, and generally letting them know they are valued human beings (even though you also let them know you won't take any ****). If you have any otherr questions, please feel free to email me.