The Art of the Con: Avoiding Offender Manipulation
Criminology Personal & Professional Development Law Enforcement Training Correctional Psychology Business Risk Management Non-Fiction Activity Book Forensic Psychology
The Art of the Con: Avoiding Offender Manipulation, 2nd edition (2009, ACA, 207 pp., illustrated paperback) is the single most sought-after desk reference for correctional officers, jail supervisors, and anyone who must out-think manipulative offenders every shift. Written by veteran prison administrator Gary Cornelius, this activity-rich manual distills 25 years of frontline experience into step-by-step drills, checklists, and real-world case studies that show exactly how inmates “run the game” on staff—and how to shut it down before it starts. Buyers love that every page is designed for immediate use: quick-scan warning signs, role-play scripts, and end-of-chapter quizzes that turn the book into an on-the-spot training tool for roll-call or in-service hours.
What makes this copy extra desirable is the personal touch: it has been inscribed by a seasoned training officer who dated and stamped the cover, adding authentic provenance that collectors and professionals prize. Inside, the pages are crisp, unmarked, and free of dog-ears, so all 42 illustrated exercises and the updated legal precedents in the 2nd edition remain fully legible for daily reference. The handwritten 2009 date ties the book to the year the second edition first rolled out to correctional academies nationwide, making it both a functional manual and a piece of institutional history.
Unlike generic “security” texts, The Art of the Con zeroes in on the psychology of manipulation: grooming language, false compliance, sympathy ploys, and the “we/they” split that endangers both staff and facility safety. Cornelius pairs forensic psychology with business-world risk-analysis tools, giving readers transferable skills that also serve in social-work, probation, and corporate loss-prevention roles. For adults who want a practical, court-defensible playbook that fits in a duty bag and pays for itself the first time it prevents a contraband hand-off or staff compromise, this clean, personalized copy is the one to grab before it disappears from the secondary market.
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