Women In Corrections

To most people in the United States all inmates are killers and rapists, and all Correctional Officers are brutal and sadistic. In their minds, we stand 7ft. tall and weight in at over 400 lbs. We never say a kind word to the inmates, nor do we ever listen to their sob stories or give them a break. They, in turn, always talk to us out of the corner of their mouths, never say anything nice, and never, NEVER say "thank you." This is baloney about both sides.

We Correctional Officers have had many names over the years, such as, screw, guard, turnkey, bull, capt'n, boss and bos (spelled backward), and many more that should not be put in print nor said out loud.

We have had the poorest Public Relations of any group our size. Yes, we have had our bullies and power-hungry people, but that is the same in all jobs. What counts is the men and women (YES, I SAID WOMEN) that make up the majority of Corrections.

I started almost a decade before women were allowed to work in Corrections. I have seen the rough road they have had to travel. Granted, some have fallen by the wayside, but so have male Officers. Almost all of the remaining ones became good Correctional Officers, Officers that anyone would be proud to work with and to call upon for anything.

Let me give you an example. I worked with a young mother that was scared to death that she would someday be raped on the job by inmates. But every day she was there and worked any assigned post and did her best. She had a family to support and Corrections was the highest paying job a woman could get. This Officer was a privilege to work with. The other Officers and I knew she would back us to the limit.


In our line of work there is a saying that corrections work involves 30 years of boredom and 30 seconds of terror. Me? I have seen a lot of 30 seconds over the years. When you stand head-to-head with an inmate that only a few months before had seriously cut a fellow officer and tell him "No," the tension lasts much more than 30 seconds.

Remember, you are a highly trained Correctional Officer. I only wish I had received half the training when I started as you do now. Corrections work is not an easy life and never will be. It is real rough on marriages and families. People who do not work in Corrections do not understand this, often not even the family members of Officers.

Desert Waters is here to help Correctional Staff and families in any matters they can. No names will be given nor asked (except in the case of danger to self or others, if names are voluntarily disclosed), and there is no caller ID for the answering service. I believe they will help or I would not be writing for them. Everyone needs someone to blow off steam to and not have to worry about consequences.


-The Old Screw

The term "screw" for correctional officers derives from a type of locking mechanism used to secure cell doors. According to George H. Gregory, the author of Alcatraz Screw, "It's an old term that refers to the locking system in some prisons. You insert a big, long key into the lock of a cell door and screw it in until the door is secured."