Question

Why have women been welcomed into working in the corrections field more than in law enforcement? What have been some barricades for their entry into working in men’s prisons?

Answer 1

• The presence of women enhances the safety, operations, communication and security within corrections' organizational culture and that the field is strengthened by women and men working together within the professional norms of our society and culture.Women working behind the fence have a positive impact on reducing violence in prison.
• Female officers are often naturally inclined to these sets of skills. Control and authority are still important, but the shift in the desired skillset has opened up an alternate option that invites correctional facilities to hire a mix of female and male officers and minimizes the necessity for females to mimic males.
• The ability to put inmates at ease and negotiate with them is now seen as more valuable than it was in the past. Successful corrections teams now appear to have a mix of male and female staff members where each officer contributes their natural skills to dealing with prisoners in varied situations.
• Female officers also tend to work well managing various inmate work and crafting programs.
  
• Female officers now receive the same training and face the same challenges as their male counterparts.
• Female officers tend to have a calming effect on male inmates.The have better communication skills and can show empathy when required.
• One of the major obstacles for their entry in working in men's prisons have that male officers still feel threatened and consider it to be a "man's" job. Also women are hesistant to join themselves still,as they face issues of harrassment from their male co workers.