TIFFIN | C/O Carie Seamon uses her personal tragedy to be a beacon of hope for inmates at the Seneca County Jail.

Each year, drug and alcohol addiction drives hundreds of people to make bad choices that lead them to a stint in the Seneca County Jail. The experience of sudden, forced sobriety is extremely difficult, but the inmates are supported by dedicated jail staff who want to empower them to maintain their sobriety post-incarceration. Among those who want to help is Correctional Officer Carie Seamon, whose compassion comes from an insider’s view of the destruction of addiction.

Seamon lost a son to overdose.

“I try to help because I can relate to some of the inmates. I had a son who passed away from drug addiction,” C/O Seamon said. “Working here, it gives me that understanding. I’m looking at addiction from the inside.”

Seamon tells her story to inmates struggling with addiction. Her empathy and her pain help inmates better understand the impact of addiction on themselves and on those around them.

“I give them that other side. I say, ‘What do you think your parents will go through if you overdose?’ They respect that,” she said. “I tell them you can change your life.”

Seamon joined the jail as a correctional officer in June, 2021, after years of working in healthcare. Looking back, she thinks she may have been led to work at the jail.

“I always felt like my son was safe when he was incarcerated. Maybe that’s what brought me here,” she said. “Maybe it was a calling.”

But when she first started, Seamon was simply looking for a new career. She was laid off her job because of covid, and she decided to push herself to try something entirely different.

“I wanted to change my career field. I wanted something to challenge me more, so I put myself out there,” she said. “I decided I can do different things in life.”

As a correctional officer, Seamon discovered she was capable of doing hard and purposeful tasks. The work develops and strengthens unique personal skills.

“Being a correctional officer teaches you that a lot of people are stuck in their own ways. It shows how strong you are in ways that you might not have implemented in everyday life, like your critical thinking skills,” she said.

Among other skills, Seamon learned how to be a voice of calm and reason in dangerous situations. Many inmates struggle with mental health, yet county jails are not equipped to offer the intensive services they need.

“One of the challenges of this job is mental health. There are certain individuals who are incarcerated because they have no place else to go, but they don’t get the help they need here,” she said. “They can be a threat to you and to themselves, and you have to have a proper way to de-escalate the situation and make sure they are safe and everyone is safe.”

Seamon has grown personally and professionally as a correctional officer. In her role, she enforces rules, keeps inmates safe, and becomes a beacon of hope for inmates struggling with addiction. Through her eyes, they see themselves free of the pain of dependence on alcohol and drugs.

“Some of the people who are here for drug addiction – when they’re clean, they are the best people,” Seamon said.