Post #18

Britton argues that the norm becomes masculine when institutions attempt to establish gender-neutral policies and practices.

Because men head the vast majority of prisons, and the vast majority of those employed by prisons are male, the norms of prisons become masculine. The job of a correctional officer is viewed as a masculine job because society views it as being a job that deals with violence and danger, something men are supposedly better equipped to deal with than women.

When officers go through officer training, they are only taught how to deal with stereotypical masculine behaviors such as violence and assertiveness. Training promotes masculinity and skills society associates with being masculine.

The problem is that the training for a correctional officer does not involve training on emotional violence or problems, but more on physical, hands-on training one would need for violent outbreaks. This discrepancy in training can be seen in how correctional officers view inmates. Male inmates are seen as potentially violent and dangerous. Female inmates are “criers, liars, and manipulators.” So if officers are only being trained to deal with physical violence, they are left empty handed when emotion comes into play.

During training, members of both sexes drop out due to the violence associated with the job. Women left for fear of being hurt at work. Men, however, did not admit to this fear of violence, but most likely they left because of it. Training that incites fear, such as the training these officers go through, only deters people from going through with becoming a correctional officer. People do not want to be exposed to violence.

Males and females are treated differently in prisons once they are officers as well. Male inmates seem to respect female guards more than males because they could be seen as positive female figures, possibly motherly figures. Female inmates tend to disrespect female officers and turn to male officers as possibly fatherly figures of authority.