UNIT C - Blog 18

On the job training for correctional officers can become masculine because the videos presented to the groups show how harsh prison can be and how force needs to be used sometimes when handling prisoners. Training films can become quite violent and might scare off a woman because they may feel inferior to men because they don't possess huge muscles and strength and they may start to feel like this is a mans job not a woman's therefore creating a stereotype that women aren't able to handle this type of job when they very well can. For so many years men have been seen as take charge and are known to posses characteristics proving their masculinity and this can lead a woman to believe that they aren't qualified to be a police officer or corrections officer because they aren't strong enough to hold down an inmate or brave enough to shoot a gun but all they need to do is realize that no one job is solely for one gender. Nobody knows the skills they possess until they put themselves out there and try something out. A woman may look fragile on the outside but she could be a tiger on the inside and prover herself to be the best corrections officer out there. There is also a difference between men and women's prisons. In women's prisons the women seem to have a little bit more freedom than men and they seem to get away with a little more. In the PowerPoint slide it talked about how women use their tears as a way to take advantage of female officers because they know they are emotional and might give in to the women's needs. Women also seem to question officers more and give attitude because they know they can get away with it. In mens prisons they aren't known for talking back as much as women do because they don't get away with it. I think more force is put on the male prisons and they are stricter so the male inmates know who's boss and they don't necessarily try to play with the system or find loop holes with the officers. Women are more emotional human beings and they can use this towards their advantage and lure a woman officer to do what they want alot easier than a male can. I don't think that women trust men as much as they trust women because they have more in common with people of the same sex so they are more likely to be more flexible with the women inmates.