State examines gender-based roles for correction ofcers

Currently there are no gender restrictions for officers except during strip searches. Cross-gender assignments have been allowed since 1985 after a lawsuit brought by female officers alleging violations of equal opportunity.

Martin told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections that the department is considering a requirement that only women work in female prisons and only men work in male prisons. The department is also looking at increasing the ratio of female officers in its three women's facilities, he said.

"To conclude that we are going to do it would be a misnomer," Martin said. "But clearly we are looking at it."

The U.S. Justice Department has accused Michigan of failing to safeguard female inmates from sexual abuse and unlawful invasion of privacy. The state has reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed by the department, although terms will not be disclosed until late November or early December, Martin said.

He said sexual abuse is not a systematic problem, but does occur at the hands of "evil and wrong and mean-spirited" people.

"It has happened, and it will happen in the future," Martin said. "The department has never tried to deny that. It will not be tolerated by me or anyone else in the department."

Deborah LaBelle, an attorney representing women prisoners who say they have been sexually assaulted, said gender-specific assignments should be limited to the housing units of the two female facilities. She said female officers are not a threat to male inmates and should be allowed the opportunity to work in any facility they choose.

"We do have a difference in the way women regard privacy, the way women view their bodies, and the way they think of men looking at them," she said.

But Martin said female officers also are accused of "overfamiliarity" with male prisoners and that assaults occur outside of housing units. He ruled out LaBelle's suggestion.

Representatives of the Michigan Corrections Organization, the union representing the officers, are opposed to gender-specific assignments because they would require massive transfers.

Mel Gireshaber, the union's legislative director, said when there is evidence supporting a sexual abuse claim, the union will not defend the officer. But he insists that there is not widespread abuse in the prisons.

"We believe that prisoners set officers up. It's just a fact," he said.

Officer William Black of the Scott Correctional Facility, a women's prison in Plymouth, said the allegations bring down morale among the officers.

"It's an uncomfortable situation when all the males at a facility are thought of as being dirty," he said. "It makes me feel uncomfortable and makes it harder for me to do my job."

But Joyce Dixson, an adjunct professor of social work at the University who spent 17 years in prison, said she routinely saw sexual relationships among officers and inmates.

"I'm sorry that a man has to feel embarrassed just because he is a male and a corrections officer," she said. "The reality is that women are being raped and abused in prison."

10-13-99