Blog 17

The NBC video was much different than prisons, men or women, are typically portrayed. However, Britton does mention that women's prisons are portrayed with a lot of sexuality, and the documentary definitely highlighted the relationships and sex that happens between the inmates. Similar to the men's prisons, though, relationships are also used as a way to survive while on the inside. Guards were portrayed very differently in the two videos. The NBC special was more consistent with the guards in Britton's study. In the video it was especially emphasized that men are accompanied by female guards when proximate to the inmates. The video also downplayed any abuse that slips through as well. Overall, though, the image of the women's facility was that of order. SimilarlyBritton's study showed that there was a desire to keep order on both sides of the bars to avoid the consequences. Britton's guards discuss that their training was aided by inmates. While this shows a general desire for order, it also can be very detrimental to the guard. As is mentioned in the shorter video, these are criminals and guards still need to be careful. If a CO were to let his or her guard down it could have fatal consequences. This also isn't mentioned in the NBC special. Officers have several views of the inmates, based on their training and on the type of inmate. There were distinctions between older inmates who don't cause much trouble and the younger more unpredictable ones. Many of the COs were trained to view the inmates as lower than themselves--like beasts. African-American and Latino officers noticed more racism directed toward the inmates by the other officers. They also report the difference in inmate behavior in women's and men's prisons. Men tend to segregate themselves more and stick with routine to the point of violence when disrupted. Women do not segregate themselves the same way--they mix racially. They also don't stick with routines the same way men do. Language of the overseer deals with how the officer may approach each inmate, and how culture plays into that. What the culture of each inmate is, along with the personality, helps dictate how to approach them as the authority.