21: Interaction with Co-workers, Supervisors and Job Satisfaction: Part III

The main focus of the National Association for Female Correctional Officers is to enact laws that would assist in the prevention of the rape and sexual assault of female correctional officers. Specific measures that the organization want passed include a zero-tolerance policy for rape and assault of female prison workers, making prevention a top priority in all prison systems, develop national standards for dealing with and preventing these acts of rape and sexual assault, requiring prosecution for these acts (and federal grants to do so), and federal grants to improve safety conditions for female prison workers.

These issues differ from Britton's closing recommendations for the betterment of the prison system as far as female treatment and perception is concerned. Britton recommends that "if our goal is the creation of less oppressively gendered organizational environments" (p. 225), then realistic stories of women's lives in prison need to receive more mainstream portrayal in media. This means that images of intense violence, corrupt guards and animal-like inmates must be tempered in favor of the truth. This will lead to less sensationalizing of prison life, and will assist in promoting equality of women working in prisons. Britton also notes that training specific to either male or female inmates is necessary for preparing officers for their positions because male and female inmates are different, and should be treated as such. Britton agrees with the National Association for Female Correctional Officers in that "sexual harassment remain[s] [an] obstacle(s) and should be more aggressively addressed, but does not recommend legislation or go into specific details.