Unit C - Blog 20

The conditions in the toward reflect some of Britton's findings about the fears faced by women correctional officers who are in male prisons. Fraley, the officer, was raped by two inmates and not allowed to eat or pee on her own accord. They were abusive and wanted to exert power over Fraley. Both men were no where near being released from prison and so they ultimately had nothing to lose. They probably picked Fraley because she was a woman which accurately reflects Britton's findings about how a small population of men do not like women officers having the power.
Prisons are gendered organizations because the Arizona prison system was in shambles before the new woman in charge of the prison. Formally the "cowboys" that ran the place where known for "locking 'em up and throwing out the key." Schriro however had a different approach. Be tough on prisoners but give them a chance to restore their lives. In the first article Dora is portrayed as very intelligent and innovative. She is the first director in a prison hostage situation to get everyone out alive. Her persistence and tactics saved Fraley's life. The COC was found to be in shambles which is what made the Tower situation such a long ordeal. Plans for the tower were not communicated to staff at all and there were no maps or good communication lines that existed.
Britton discusses keepers and turnkeys to talk about people that are in favor with their supervisors and people that are not. The working conditions are affected by how guards relate to their supervisors. Before it was like a good old boys club and white males were friends with the white male supervisor therefore placing them in line to get promotions. With affirmative actions nowadays people complain that others are promoted to fill status quos only and they are not really qualified. In Schriro's position she found many workers could not pass standardized tests and has raised that bar so now all her officers are at the same proficiency level. Schriro has improved the Arizona prisons greatly making her one of the most respected prison supervisors in the nation.
Britton says prison is a total institution referring to the fact that it lies completely outside of society. It is separated from the world and nothing is supposed to come in or out of it. Dora has a completely different take on how prisons should really work. Instead of being a total institution she takes on a reformative justice stance saying that the men and women of prisons can offer society something while they are in prison and when they leave. Her goal is to make something of the inmates and give them goals so they can get their lives back.
Prison guards are engendered according to Britton because of the preconceived perceptions of prisons and the training they receive. Men are taught to be physically strong all the time and that they mist play protector roles. Even men who are shorter still look at women as being weaker. On the flip side when women can perform physical tasks they are still degraded by men who say "that's pretty good for a woman." In Fraley's case she was able to stay alive which is an amazing task to do with two very dangerous incarcerated males. This is a test that many human beings, men and women alike, would not be able to do.
Britton suggests that training needs to focus on the difference of men and women inmates and the effect of men versus women correctional officers factor into the prisons. This may have helped the tower situation if men and women officers were taught how to deal with crisis situations like this. The tower was very ill conceived and never planned for. A study into the difference in men and women correctional facilities will lead to policies that affect these areas differently which can only help aid the safety of inmates and their officers. Without acknowledging that men and women are different and accepting that is NOT a bad thing, prison engendering will continue to occur. These separate policies will not have to make things softer for women but instead address the differences that occur because men and women facilities are different.