Blog # 21

According to NAFCO they are working to be the national voice for female correctional officers. They want to work toward the elimination of harassment and sexual assault of female officers by improving conditions within prisons and using upgraded technology. They state that rape and sexual assault or sexual harassment of female officers is a big issue that needs to be stopped. They are working hard to get an act passed that would help eliminate these types of assaults against female officers. They argue that inmates who are the perpetrators of sexual assault need to be prosecuted and there needs to be strict guidelines for how those types of assaults need to be handled. Having sever punishments for assaulting a female officer will also help eliminate future occurrences.

This is also consistent with Britton’s study. Many women correctional officers have mentioned being scared of certain tasks involved with working within a prison, and many male officers have mentioned fearing for their female counterpart’s safety. Within the study, Britton also found that there are certain positions that are considered to be too dangerous or threatening for women officers, so those tasks are given to men. For example, supervising showers or dormitories are two tasks that are considered to be too dangerous or unsafe jobs for women.
Although this is not formally written in the job description or prison policies, it is just understood. This understanding often would bring a mix of emotions for the female officers because they felt that the other male officers were being sexist toward them or looking down on them because they needed protection. However, it also gave these women a sense of security and they appreciated the chivalrous intentions from their male coworkers. There are also issues of discrimination when it comes to women working in prisons. For example, women are often overlooked for promotions because they do not take part in socializing with the boys. Or they are more likely to turn down promotions that would initial them moving because of their families at home. There have also been some officers in the study who were turned down for a promotion because they would not respond with sexual favors. These issues are issues that women correctional officers should not have to face while doing their jobs, which is why it is important to Britton and NAFCO to have these issues exposed.