Blog Post #17

I found the documentary on NBC to be very interesting. Even though I know my assumptions are wrong, I still think of women prisons as rather non-violent. My assumption is always that women are in prison for petty crimes like drugs and theft, so it was interesting to see a documentary where most of the inmates were serving long sentences for violent crimes. Also, I knew that the women in female prisons tended to form lesbian relationships but I had no idea how I invested they were in each other. One of the officers hit it dead on when they said it is scary that they care more about the other person, than their self and their sentence. Britton discusses the humanistic attitudes that correctional officer have towards the inmates and the film was a good example of that. The officers never seemed to be looking down on the inmate, but they did seem to want to evoke change from the prisoners like a mother. It was clear the officers respected the inmates and wanted to see them succeed in life.

Britton points out that many times the correctional officers will spend more time with inmates then they spend with their own families. This level of proximity can tend to break down stereotypes on both sides, and possibly create an emotional relationship or attachment. Previously, in situations of this nature, officers have been persuaded to go too far. There have been instances where the officer has had a sexual relationship with the inmate or where the officer has brought the inmate illegal contraband and allowed inappropriate activities. In the video on NBC, one life time prisoner talks about how she would bait the workers and convince them to give her stuff like money and drugs. Relationship like this can push the officer to be hurt by behavior the inmate exhibits or what the inmate suffers from. Officers must remain cautious in order not to be compromised. This is especially true for men working in female prisons. Some essential assumptions the officers have of inmates is that there are difference between the officers and the inmates that rationalize the bad behavior of the inmates. The officers have a strong set of attitudes about inmates that include the assumption that they will always behave badly, and an overall sense of distrust. However, they also assert that all of the inmates are human that have made mistakes, and they do deserve to be treated with respect. The officers just approach the inmates with reservation.

Britton points out that there seems to be a disproportionate number of inmates who are of a minority. Officers of Latin and African American descent (minorities), have to deal with rationalizing this apparent discrepancy. Also, one African American female officer that Britton quoted says she was hired to do the dirty work and keep “her” inmates in check. Many of these minority officers feel pressured to demonstrate their loyalty to their co-workers over their ethnicity by distancing themselves from inmates of the same ethnicity. The minority officers show a more positive orientation towards rehabilitation of the offenders because they respect them as human beings, however, they still use strategies to keep themselves emotionally separated. The term the “language of the overseer” means a disidentification with their racial or ethnic identity that is shared with inmates. Sometimes they will use the method that Britton calls “active construction of other markers of difference” to feel separated from these inmates.

In saying that the officers use humanistic attitudes towards inmates that tended to objectify or infantilize them, we are saying that the officers do not view them as their equals. Some officers view them as animals, and that their job is to restrain these animals. Most of the officers view the inmates as having the mentality of a child, but they still prioritize communication with the inmates. They respect the prisoners but they feel that because of their education level or their upbringing they need to speak to them like a child. In this way, the officers take on more of a maternalistic/paternalistic role. They chose to play a custodial role, and hope to transform the inmates.

The officers see the inmates as rather spoiled. They come to prison for being deviant and they have a bed, food, cable television, a gym with weights, a pool table, and their schooling all paid for by the government. One officer compares it as a cheaper alternative to a retirement home. Another officer points out that it keeps the inmates busy and makes their jobs easier. Also, it give the officers something to take away for bad behavior.

The form of social control that is used in the women’s prison is based on rehabilitation and family. It seeks to transform the inmates and help them to succeed in life. This type of social control is used because female are far more emotional then men, and also more manipulative. Most male prisons have a form of social control that is based in masculinity and run by the older inmates. If one inmate acts out they will have to answer to their peers as well as the officers, which is almost worse.