DENVER — Paul Brackmann had worked as a teacher for 25 years, including stints as a principal and assistant principal, and was looking for a slightly different opportunity when he took a job as a teacher at the Buena Vista Correctional Complex.
He loved his work teaching GED classes and cognitive therapy to people incarcerated in the 1,200-bed facility. He felt that he could build spaces where his students felt comfortable sharing their lives.
This winter, however, staffing shortages at the complex meant Brackmann was pulled in to work corrections officer shifts. He manned hallways and housing units, keeping an eye out for trouble.
