As many of us in the field are witnessing, state and local budgets have been hit hard. This has forced legislators and local governments to cut back. All sorts of adjustments have been made to deal with the reduced funding. In my area, fewer officers are on the 'beat'. There has been an increase in the number of inmate/inmate, inmate/staff assaults. 

Some of this is directly attributable to the lack of funding. But some of it can also be attributed to the decrease in officer awareness. Decreasing awareness maybe occurring because we are busy loading our brains up with the conversations we are having instead of where our feet are going. 

There have been several studies documenting the decrease in 'situational awareness' by cell phone users. For whatever reasons, when car drivers are talking on their cell phones while driving, their ability to stay focused on the driving environment is drastically reduced.

 I am willing to bet the same thing is happening to us. Our attention is focused on the conversations and not where we are walking. The inmates are watching this. They know we don't have as many staff walking around. They know the pressures that are being added. So they watch to see which of us are letting these outside distractions affect us.
To correct this, before you walk out onto the tier, do a short focusing exercise. Take a breath and feel it enter through your nose, down your throat and into your lungs. Feel your diaphragm push down into your abdomen. Hold your breath for a moment. Release it and 'watch' the reverse process. Do this exercise for 5 times. During the last 2 breathes, expand your awareness to include your immediate surroundings. Just be aware of where you are.

Then walk out the door and onto the tier. Leave the conversation in the office. I promise it will be there when you return.