UNIT C - Blog 20

The hostage situation in Arizona reflects Brittons study because the hostage situation shows lack of training in the prisons. In the Phoenix Magazine coverage Dora Schriro says that when she started at the Lewis prison she noticed that the officers lacked training and proper equipment. She noticed that there wasn't even a layout of the tower located anywhere during the crisis and some other much needed tools weren't there when she needed it in order to get officers out alive in 2004. Britton talks about men and women being properly trained in corrections so that they are fully aware of each others needs and can know how to defend themselves. It's important that men know what kinds of things women go through and also women should know what kinds of things men go through so that they are capable of understanding each other and can maybe get along better. The whole hostage situation was very unfortunate and even though the prison lacked structure when Schriro started at that prison she still managed to get her officers out safely. Officer Fraley even admitted she left the Department of Corrections because the lack of training but once she heard what Dora Schriro wanted to do in order to improve the conditions of the prison and the officers she immediately came back to work for her because even she knew they all needed proper training for once. These prison conditions are ridiculous and if they would of had better security and training then maybe the 2004 incident at Lewis prison wouldn't of happened.

Prisons are gendered organizations because they stereotype with men and women. They will purposely put women in non confrontational situations such as guarding a door or working the kitchen so that they aren't in a situation that might be harmful to them. Men don't even want women officers as their backup because they feel that if an attack were to occur from an inmate that a woman couldn't properly help protect them against harm. Men usually are the ones that hold supervisor positions not women because men feel they are the proper candidates for authority positions and they feel masculinity is what keeps prisons strong and under control. Women can hold just as much power as a man and just because women don't have massive bulging muscles doesn't mean they can't hold their own and take out an inmate.

The hostage situation in Arizona reflects Brittons discussion of keepers and turnkeys because Britton talks about there being a lack of discipline and how riots and escapes and assaults would break out and an escape and take over is what happened in the hostage situation in Arizona. The fact that officer Jason Auld opened up the door of the tower without properly identifying the so called officer shows lack of discipline and training. An officer should properly identify another officer and just because they have the uniform on doesn't mean they are who they seem to be. Prison is a total institution because anything and everything under the prisons power is being controlled by the prison and authority that works for the prison. Inmates are being controlled and told what to do and are supposed to abide by all the rules and the workers and officers of the prisons have to follow specific rules as well and follow through with everything they're told. Officers depend on the prison and it's security to keep them safe from inmates and to protect them from harm and they depend on specific training so they are ready for any situation that might occur. Inmates also depend on prisons for their shelter and are fed certain times of the day and let out at certain times therefore they are being controlled constantly by the prison.

I think Brittons recommendation at the end of the book would have been useful towards preventing the hostage take over because he suggests better training tactics, learning how to deal with violence, enforcing strict rules would have also helped this situation because the prison was obviously unstructured and unstable when this hostage take over happened. I think the officers became lazy and felt too comfortable and maybe if rules were regulated on them and they were trained properly every month or year then they could have been better prepared for a situation like this.