post 17

Britton discussed if officer-inmate relationships devolop, there is an emotional investment and the officer may preferentially treat the inmate. In the NBC documentary, it was said that a lot of female officers "hook-up" with the female inmates. This would be determental becuase it jepordizes the officers job and authority over the inmates.
Most of the officers see the inmates as wrong doers who cannot be trusted. A lot of officers of both genders report rather working in a prison with male inmates because they are more likely to follow orders, while in prisons with female inmates there is more insubordination, and reports of assault, rape, etc.
The Latino and African American officers face a lot of different issues. There are stereotypes in the prison systems, and the concept of "the language of the overseer" where there is a disidentification process. This is the denial of ones own racial identity. These officers know there are a disproportionate amount of minorities in the prison system, but are more likely to subscribe to the idea that inmates are people who made mistakes. Which also brings officers own experiences with racism in the outside world to bear on their assessments.
The inmates are ultimately viewed as kids needed to be baby sat because they are not responsible enough to follow the rules of take care of themselves. Officers view the inmates as being reformed by doing time, but there is no rehabilitation in this reformation of the inmate, which is the social control that is used on the inmates.