Criminal Justice Prisons and Corrections

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Corrections officers serve a distinct role in the criminal justice system. They are involved in the day-to-day lives of inmates, and are responsible for maintaining prison safety, security, and integrity. In some ways, corrections officers may fulfill a role similar to that of a guard, whereby they enforce the rules and regulations of the institution, prevent problems such as inmate fighting or rioting, monitor inmate behavior, prevent escapes, and may administer punishments to inmates. Occasionally, correctional officers may need to use force when mitigating behavioral problems among inmates. Essentially, corrections officers represent the authority of the criminal justice system within the prison framework. Correctional officers may sometimes be involved in rehabilitation efforts, too, helping steer inmates toward specific self-improvement methods such as educational programs or job training programs. Likewise, correctional officers might be involved in parole hearings to offer testimony based on the behavior and status of an inmate. The work of correctional officers is usually stressful, entailing a high perception of potential risk as well as actual risk.

2. Women remain underrepresented in the occupation of correctional officer, and were once systematically excluded from working as correctional officers in male prisons. In spite of the significant organizational barriers to their presence in the career, women have been working as correctional officers in male prison institutions for decades.
Some of the most salient factors affecting the roles of women as correctional officers include the high potential for violence and abuse that can occur, particularly given the fact that many correctional officers are prohibited from carrying weapons out of fear that inmates might gain control of those weapons. Relying on non-lethal instruments to subdue inmate populations, female correctional officers might experience higher levels of danger and work-related stress than their male counterparts. Moreover, prison administrators might perceive females as being less capable than their male counterparts of maintaining law and order in the prison. Women may be perceived as possessing less power, control or influence over the inmates. Furthermore, administrative staff and male correctional officers can create a hostile working environment for female staff. As Griffin (2013) points out, male staff often lack respect for their female counterparts and view female correctional officers as being weaker or generally incapable of their duties. Women have even been accused of threatening prison safety, their presence alone capable of inciting male inmates to rape and violence (Griffin, 2013). Ancillary complaints have been related to….....

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"Criminal Justice Prisons And Corrections", 22 February 2016, Accessed.19 June. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/criminal-justice-prisons-corrections-2160000