History of Women Working in the Criminal Justice System
The history of women in criminal justice system has started centuries ago. It depicts the perfect example of having an equal situation between men and women in an apparently fair system of the organization. If we are going to look at the history of women in the criminal justice system, it shows that women who were working in the justice system have been oppressed (Beery, 2004). That is because our criminal justice system was and still designed based on the system that is being controlled by men. Thus, its design is to control wayward men, which started hundreds of years ago. Beery (2004) gave the witch hunts during the 17th century in New England as a specific example in which members of the society are the ones controlling the women as witches and leaving men alone. The history shows that there were fewer women working in the justice system than men. However, their work was recognized by some groups, which gave them additional credits as women working in the justice system. In 1912, The National Prison Congress elected Maud Booth as the new chairman of Association of Women Members that aimed for mutual help and advice from both male and female who work for the justice system.
Carl Nink (2008) stated that women are presently and will continue to play bigger roles in the justice system. Based on the study, women tend to become more passionate with challenges and problem solving needed in the justice system than men. In corrections, women are more inclusive and collaborative in which they take account into, providing varying points and input before a decision is made. Moreover, the normal decision making technique of women gives opportunities to the staff development, which are involve in the decision making process. These women’s attributes enable more thoughtful and creative process, which help staff with their skills in terms of problem solving.
Prison Environment is Toxic for both Male and Female Correctional Officers
Prison environment can be described as one of the most unpleasant environments in the world. This is where the convicted criminals are being held into, making the prison as one of the major consequences that they should face. Different psychological characters of the prisoners are present inside the prison. There is even a high chance of being in contact with many aggressive prisoners, who have the tendency to attack their prison officers. Conversely, these scenarios are only few of the evident factors that make the prison as a toxic environment for both male and female correctional officers.
Based on the correction officers’ job description, they are responsible for maintaining the order inside the prison (dangerousjobsguide.com). They are also responsible in enforcing the rules and regulations inside the prison or penitentiary. Their job includes the direct supervision of prisoners’ admittance and release. Thus, the prison transfers as well as their daily routines such as prisoners’ meals, visitors, workshops, are also part of their job. Both female and male correctional officers are in direct contact with the prisoners themselves. It is more than just taking care of the prisoners’ welfare as they are attending to their jobs in a risky way.
Added to their daily routines are the risks of facing their daily tasks, as correctional officers are the workers who have one of the highest rates when it comes to non-fatal, work-related injuries (dangerousjobsguide.com). Therefore, looking at the overall toxicity inside the prison environment, it is conclusive that both male and female correctional officers are commonly experiencing these toxic factors as part of their jobs. The prison environment for that reason is a place where different risks and dangers are evidently present. This danger is with the inclusion of various prisoner mentalities that support the statement regarding how toxic the prison environment is for male and female correctional officers.
Difference between Survivorship and Victimhood
Survivorship and victimhood may have been quite similar to each other in terms of being in a situation wherein a person involves experienced an attack, assault, crime or, accident. However, there are some differences between the two in which depictions are based on the approach and reaction done by the involved person after such event occurred.
Based on the oxford dictionary, victimhood or a victim is a person who was harmed or killed because of an accident, crime, and similar action or event (datingapsychopath.com). As an example, a woman who was raped is a victim. On the other hand, survivorship is the event wherein a person was able to survive after such similar events. Similarly, the person was able to remain alive after the occurrence of an event that killed the others, or the person was the last man standing.
Conversely, a victim will remain as one if he or she will not be able to move forward, which will make him or her a survivor after becoming a victim. Therefore, victimhood is the offending event against a person, which causes sufferings or challenges. However, survivorship is the act of surpassing the challenges of being a victim. As such, a victim can be a survivor through the application of recovery processes and stages. Relatively, survivorship is the application of the subsequent steps and processes that turn a person from being a victim to being a survivor.
In the case of a woman who was raped, she will remain a victim for a number of days, weeks, or sometimes months until she recovered from such abusive event. As she goes through the recovery process, she will eventually become a survivor because of the psychological treatments that were applied to her situation.
Rape Trauma Syndrome and Initial Meeting the Victim and First person
People who were rape survivors have a response to such event in their lives, which is called the rape trauma syndrome (rapecrisis.org.za). It is a medical term that describes the natural response of a person who has a healthy psychological state to the rape’s trauma. Thus, the trauma’s symptoms do not represent a mental illness or disorder. This syndrome is commonly present to those women who suffered from rape. As survivors of such event, traumatic memories still remain in their minds in which cannot be forgotten for a long period. The most prevailing factor that determines the psychological agony would be the characteristic of the distressing event itself.
Some physical symptoms of this syndrome include, but not limited to fainting and cold feeling because of the shocking experience. Pregnancy, vomiting, sleep and eating disturbances, and even gynecological problems are also some of the physical symptoms. On the other hand, behavioral symptoms of rape trauma syndrome affect lifestyle and relationship changes. Rape survivors normally cry more than the usual, difficulty concentrating becomes more watchful and alert than before.
An initial meeting between the rape survivor and the first person that the victim interacts with after the event is very important for the survivor’s recovery. That is because the survivor is still on the Acute Phase. It is when the survivor is still in shock, fear, dismay, anger and panic (rapecriis.org.za). In this case, the survivor’s recovery may depend on the initial interactions right after the rape event as it serves as the primary stage of her recovery process. Initial interactions between the rape survivor and the first person are within the acute phase, which will be the start of the healing process until the survivor reaches the renewal phase of her life.
References
Beery, B. (2004). Gender Politics in the US Criminal Justice System. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_cult/courses/knowbody/f04/web2/bbeery.html
Corrections officer / prison guard. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://dangerousjobsguide.com/home/dangerous-security-jobs/prison-guard
Nink, C. (2008). Women professionals in corrections: A growing Asset. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.mtctrains.com/public/uploads/1/2010/10/WomenProfessionalsInCorrections-Aug08.pdf
Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust (2014). Rape Trauma Syndrome | Rape Crisis. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://rapecrisis.org.za/information-for-survivors/rape-trauma-syndrome/
Rape Crisis Cape Town (2014). Phases of Recovery | Rape Crisis. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://rapecrisis.org.za/information-for-survivors/phases-of-recovery/
What is the difference between a victim and a survivor? And who will you choose to be? | Dating a Sociopath. (2013, October 30). Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://datingasociopath.com/2013/10/30/what-is-the-difference-between-a-victim-and-a-survivor-and-who-will-you-choose-to-be/
