Blog 13

I do not think I would have ever considered women working in prisons if I did not know someone who did. I used to work with an older woman whose daughter worked in a prison. He daughter was married and actually made a lot more money than her husband because of her job. She worked unarmed just as Dana Britton states in her book At Work in the Iron Cage, “correctional officers who work in inmate living areas are always unarmed (Britton 2). Her daughter worked in the prison for six years before she was held hostage but some inmates, after this experience she quit the prison. After reading chapters one and two in the Britton book, I wonder if she was targeted because she was a female. I am sure I am not the only one who thought this, could her male coworkers thought the same thing?

In the media female police officers or those who work in prisons are often stereotyped as masculine with a rough attitude, similar to males. It seems that media portrays women this was because they have to be strong to control the prisoners. Basically media places a woman in the role even though all their features are masculine, so one may ask why even place a women in this role? Similar to females who play roles of attorneys; they are single, non very feminine women. In reality, females make 69% less of what males make working as attorneys (Britton 5) Women who work in law generally work in family law, public defense, and government law while men work in corporate law. Corporate law makes significantly more than the other fields, allowing men to make more money because they usually occupy these careers. Media seems to show women in men’s careers need to be masculine in order to succeed.

An interesting point brought up in the book is about men and women committing crimes; women are look down upon more because it is out of their nature. Women are also look down upon more when there is relationships between prison and prison guard. Women are blamed for the scandal if it results in a pregnancy. Males can be feared more then women’s prisons than in male prisons because of sexual abuse. It is more likely for male guards to sexual abuse female prisoners than male prisoners. All in all, I believe female guards in female prisons and male guards in male prisons would be more effective.