NCJ Number
210263
Journal
Women & Criminal Justice Volume: 15 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 2004 Pages: 143-165
Date Published
2004
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This study identified any similarities and differences between male and female correctional officers in their definitions of and responses to conflict situations.
Abstract
Interviews were conducted with 192 (96 males and 96 females) correctional officers at a large southwestern jail between October 1995 and January 1996. Each officer was presented a vignette of an inmate disobeying a correctional officer's direct order. The gender of the inmate was varied in the presentations to determine the effect of this variable on officers' conflict resolution decisions. Each officer was asked to describe how they would handle the situation. Answers were assessed to determine officers' initial response, the highest level of force used to resolve the situation, the threat or use of force, number of attempts at resolution, and whether or not communication was used to resolve the conflict. The analysis of data found that male and female correctional officers did not differ statistically in their perceptions of threat to security or risk of assault, and male and female officers were similar in the highest level of force used. Male and female officers were almost equally willing to use force against female inmates, but there was a statistically significant difference between male officers' willingness to use force on male inmates compared to female officers. Contrary to expectations, male officers took more steps to resolve conflicts with male inmates without force than did female officers. These findings generally contradict the myth that men and women use different techniques to define and respond to conflict. 5 tables and 55 references