NCJ Number
88255
Date Published
1983
Length
162 pages
Annotation
This study determines which correctional occupations women are working in and explores the structural and social factors affecting recruitment, placement, and advancement of women in the field.
Abstract
Women are underrepresented in corrections employment, as indicated by a survey of correctional staff in 59 agencies in Maryland, Michigan, and South Carolina. They are employed primarily in clerical and support positions, and usually work directly only with female and juvenile offenders. Because women differ from men in their career goals and motivations for working in corrections, they are poorly integrated into the correctional organization, show less job satisfaction, and perceive themselves as having less equality in the workplace. Women are often hurt by veterans' preference statutes and vague State and local plans for eliminating sex discrimination. In addition, they often do not use or are unaware of available legal aids to combat discrimination. A major obstacle to increasing the percentage of women in on-line corrections positions is the unresolved conflict between women's employment rights and the rights of inmate privacy and institutional security. A discussion of the law on sex discrimination in employment covers Title VII, constitutional standards, and other Federal legislation as well as State laws. Tabular data are provided; study instruments are appended.