Topic: In Memory of... / Barb Glaser

God speed, Barb!

Topic: The Club House / Women working in Corrections

Squeeze, shakeyjake and Irish, you guys are the best, with support like yours from Joy’s fellow jailers, correctional officers and/ or LE she cannot help but succeed, AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

Topic: The Club House / Women working in Corrections

Irish, agreed. Let’s not let the turkey get us down, nor shall Joy!

Topic: The Club House / Women working in Corrections

Joy, ask yourself if you really want to try this first and if the answer is yes then ignore all the contrary advise or opinion or negativity as it is not yours to own. I totally agree with Squeeze and somewhat agree with Irish but that’s just me. Corrections is not for everyone and if it is not for you it will be quickly recognized but you won’t know if you don’t try! Communication is our first line of defense regardless of your size or stature and often is the tool that will de-escalate and contain prior to having to use other measures for control. It is our combined team efforts which maintain safety and security for staff and offenders not any one person nor perspective. I experienced family and friends not wanting to support nor could they understand my decision to work in this environment at the beginning of my career. Since then It has turned around 100 % and they are always telling me now how proud they are of me and how they respect what I have accomplished by pushing forward to succeed. Some Words of advice to repeat to yourself: 1) do not take anything personal and leave your personal life at the gate; 2) do not let the turkeys get you down; 3) always treat others with respect as you would want to be treated, staff and offender; 4) remember the goal is we, the staff , all go home safe at the end of the day; 5) you are there to earn your paycheck and benefits just like your counterparts; 5) Be the professional image of a Correctional Officer at all times and under all circumstances; 6) Don’t do anything you would not want to admit to in front of the warden/superintendent! Good Luck and Best wishes for a successful and fulfilling career in a most challenging and exciting arena because you will never be bored!

Topic: The Club House / Women working in Corrections

Appreciated, Squeeze, and here’s a shout -out to all the male staff like yourself who contributed to my success and those others who are female and professional! I agree the environment became less hostile and improved in many ways as well for years. I am most concerned at this time for the younger generation based on all those societal issues which have entered our prisons and impacted us in the past decade. The gang populations and their personal wars, the criminally/ mentally ill incarcerated instead of being institutionalized in a care hospital as those have been closed, the younger prison population who have no care for others nor themselves nor life in general based on being drugged from birth and in the womb, laws in Washington state which give inmates more rights than the staff, and the legislature cutting pay/benefits and touting non-violence programs in the press which are not telling the whole story. It is a bad soup mix for a future potential break-down in our security system of law and order prevailing. This is only one woman’s humble opinion and for now I fight the good fight with those I supervise, planning for the worst and hoping for the best.

Topic: The Club House / Women working in Corrections

I am currently working towards my retirement with 20 + years in Washington state and wondering how many generations will it be before this is no longer a topic, females working as correctional staff in male prisons. I was hired approx. 5-years after females were first allowed to work in the living units and other high inmate traffic areas. I have gratitude for those females who helped pave the way for me and I have tried to continue to advance that road ahead for others of my gender. It has been both an arduous and adventurous journey and I have no regrets. I had some male officers tell me " you are only here to find a husband in the inmate population" and others who told me " you won’t make it because you are too nice". What they did not understand was I was there to earn a paycheck just like them and support my children as a single mother. Ignorance lives in all kinds of work places and I have not let anyone, staff or inmate, define my future. Thankfully there were enough professional male officers who were in support of my efforts and helped me to sustain myself through some very good and some very bad times. I believe the corrections family will advance from the gender differences, learn to work together for the good of the whole, respectfully choose who works where and under what conditions based on skill, merit and size and stature when necessary.