NCJ Number
197963
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 30 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2002 Pages: 473-489
Editor(s)
Kent B. Joscelyn
Date Published
November 2002
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This report presents findings from a study that examined the perception of women correctional staff by both prison and jail workers from five correctional institutions in a rural mountain State over the last 25 years.
Abstract
Women have worked in corrections for over a century, but in a reduced capacity predominantly as matrons. During the past quarter century, the corrections workplace has undergone tremendous change. Judicial intervention, the civil rights and women’s rights movements, budgetary pressures, and the politics of the moment have led to changes in corrections for female staff. A two-part questionnaire on correctional ethics and the correctional role was administered to correctional staff in several prisons and jails in a rural mountain State to determine how correctional staff today view the presence and capabilities of women in the corrections work environment. Study findings indicated that the perceptions of female staff in correctional institutions were generally positive. In addition, the data support the notion that female staff are more likely to have a positive perception of the work of other females. Tables and references