Correctional Officers - Essay Example

CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS Challenges facing women who work as correctional officers? In the earlier days female correctional officers were not allowed to get in touch with male inmates. For many decades, correctional officers who were females were not given promotion because there was denial of same access to employment opportunities and responsibilities as that of the male counterparts. In many cases female candidates with many years of work experience and efficiency were not allowed to be promoted only because of the reason that they were females. The ability of the female correctional officers will often be questioned by the administration and they are always doubted by the male co-workers. The female correctional officers will have to work extra hard to prove themselves.   Because of the nature of work and the high stress level in the corrections, it will be difficult to leave work at the workplace and therefore it becomes difficult for them to relax at home. Women are mostly not hired in male prisons because of the growing concern about their security and safety and there is also a possibility of violation of privacy of the inmates. The male prison administrators and the male guards found the presence of women as a problem. The courts have often recognized that there is always a possibility of assault on female correctional officers. There is also inequality in job assignments to the women correctional officers especially in cases where there is a need of direct contact with the inmates. “The ambiguous and contradictory court rulings have provided no clear, definitive direction for resolution of the conflict between the equal employment rights of women correctional officers and the privacy rights of male inmates” (Tewksbury & Collins, 2013). Some of the researchers are of the view that the amount of psychological stress faced by the female officers has caused health concerns for them. The experience of the women correctional officers is complicated and filled with broken barriers. The male superior officers also sometimes do not provide the important information with respect to inmate interaction, which can help them to succeed professionally. The amount of freedom provided to the female correctional officers is minimum and they are made to work for longer hours. Senior male officers also disregard them in the context of their training and their social interactions and they also tend to exercise excessive supervision on them. The environment in the correctional system does not give the required trust and respect to female officers. The possibility of  sexual harassment by the inmates as well as colleagues is also another problem faced by the female correctional officers. Management problems that special need inmates pose for corrections officials?  For this study, the special “populations are defined as those prisoners who exhibit unique physical, mental, social, and programmatic needs that distinguish them from other prisoners and for whom jail and prison management and staff have to respond to in nontraditional and innovative ways” (Stojkovic, 2005, p. 3). Correction officials are most often unable to effectively manage and supervise special need population of prisoners. The methods of management of the special need prisoners by the correctional leaders are many times questioned. Traditional methods of treatment of prisoners will not suit special needs inmates. In the traditional method, the issues of physical and mental health are not primary consideration. If the special needs population has to be effectively managed, the existing policies will have to be altered and innovative methods adopted. The researchers in this field are of the opinion that there is no single method to manage the special needs population but best practices have to be developed and critical issues have to be given specific attention. The special needs prisoners are not in a condition to recognize their constitutional rights. Therefore, there should be a proper mechanisms to protect their constitutional rights and freedom. A healthy and safe environment and also a system that works on the basis of justice and fairness has to be created. The mental disability of the prisoners may make them to confess to the offence without knowing its simple cautions and, therefore, qualified legal assistance is required. There is a possibility of discrimination, ill treatment and stigmatization by officials in the law enforcement field. Therefore, the system has to check and avoid the possibilities of such occurrences. The assistance of health professionals, psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and occupational therapists have to be made available to protect the mental and physical health of the special needs inmates. The suicide tendency in the special needs inmates is found to be higher and, therefore measures have to be taken to prevent this. There should be proper co-operation between civil health services and prison authorities. Proper post release support has to be provided to the special needs inmates. Thus, overall, special care and attention have to be given to protect the legal rights of such inmates. Differentiate among the five ways that capital punishment jurisdictions weigh aggravating and mitigating circumstances to determine if a death sentence is appropriate. While deciding the sentence for a defendant who is found guilty of any offence, in most of the states, the jurors are asked to consider the mitigating and aggravating circumstances of a particular case. This has been made use of mainly in connection with the capital murder cases. The aggravating and mitigating factors which a jury has to consider are, the circumstances of the crime and the possible existence of special circumstances and the circumstances of the crime, the commission of any aggressive action by the defendant and the existence of felony convictions priorly. Besides, they jury also have to see whether the defendant had any mental or emotional disorder while committing the crime and whether there was any moral justification for the commission of the crime. In the cases of death penalty, every juror has to individually weigh the circumstances and has to decide whether the convict has to be given the punishment of death sentence or life in prison. The five methods by which the different jurisdictions consider the aggravating and mitigating factors to decide whether death sentence is proper in a particular case are- 1. It is weighed by the method of sufficiency standard. 2. Mitigating circumstances may be outweighed by the aggravating circumstance by considering the evidence 3. Mitigating circumstances may be outweighed by the aggravating circumstance in cases proved beyond reasonable doubt 4. Minimum one aggravating circumstance has to be found 5. Different methods of structures can be made use of. “Three landmark cases that influenced capital punishment were Furman v. Georgia (1972), Gregg v. Georgia (1976), and Ring v. Arizona (2002)” (Chapter 15: Death: The Ultimate Sanction, n.d, par.10). Although in many criminal cases the judge will decide and impose the sentence, the need of jury sentencing demand that capital punishment cases have a link between existing community values and the prevailing punishment system. How purpose, mission, and vision can foster professionalism in a correctional organization. The demands of the correctional system in today’s world are increasing. Efficient mission and vision statements have to be created which can set the goals of the organization. The organization’s objectives and the community goals have to be set. Certain beliefs, which are practical have to be stated and the employees in the corrections system have to work with co-operation by respecting the values of the organization. The administrators in the correction system have to recruit better employees, give them appropriate training, promote professional development and thus foster professionalism. The professional correctional agency’s mission has to provide secure and safe corrections services. Programs have to be conducted for the inmates in order to make them law abiding citizens when they return back to the community after the tenure of punishment is over. There should be commitment to a set of values agreed upon to maintain high standards while discharging their duties. When purpose, mission and vision are established by the organization, these will act s a roadmap which will help the organization. For the corrections system to work efficiently and move in the proper direction, the support of the media, unions, local police organizations, the public and other stakeholders is very essential. Professional corrections organization like the American Correctional Association is offering valuable support to the corrections field. Professional development programs have to be planned and executed properly in order to create a professional corrections organization. The employees who work hard beyond expectations have also to be recognized and promoted. Once an efficient system is brought in place which considers the mission and vision of the organization, “agencies and systems must have the capacity to undergo a significant shift in their business practices and organizational culture” (Guevara, 2009, p.11). The vision and goals of the corrections system have to be deterrence, rehabilitation, retribution and restoration. Unsatisfactory recruitments have to be avoided, deficiencies in the operational methods have to be corrected and recidivism has to be reduced. There should be an agreement to a set of values and which aim at the improvement of correctional organizations and maintain high standards of professionalism. Reference List Chapter 15: Death: The Ultimate Sanction. (n.d). Retrieved from http://cstl-hhs.semo.edu/keena/cj125%20Chapter%2015%20sp06.htm Guevara, M. (2009). Implementing Evidence-Based Policy and Practice in Community Corrections. U. S. Department of Corrections. Retrieved from http://static.nicic.gov/Library/024107.pdf Tewksbury, R. & Collins, S. C. (2013). Aggression Levels Among Correctional Officers: Reassessing Sex Differences. Sage Journal. Retrieved from http://tpj.sagepub.com/content/86/3/327.abstract Stojkovic, S. (2005). Managing Special Populations in Jails and Prisons. Civil Research Institute. Retrieved from http://www.civicresearchinstitute.com/toc/MSP_V1_frntmatter.pdf Read More