Women working in male prisons face harassment from inmates and co
Taronica White
It was a sweltering summer day when Taronica White first stepped foot into the yard as a new correctional officer at a maximum-security federal prison in Coleman  Fla. Before she started her shift  her supervisor gave her an oversize jacket to wear on top of her uniform. “In this facility  females cover up ” she said she was told.
 White  transferred to the federal correctional complex in Coleman in 2005  after a new maximum security prison had opened  because she was in search of new opportunities. The sprawling ­federal complex has five prison facilities  including low- and ­medium-security facilities and two ­high-security penitentiaries.
 White  became active in the union  serving as a point of contact for women who were experiencing harassment. She got calls sometimes late into the night.
In 2013  they won the first crucial victory  when an administrative judge certified the plaintiffs as a class. “I thought  ‘Okay  finally  somebody is listening to us ’”  White  said.
By the time the case was being settled   White  had moved to D.C.  She  took a job as a compliance officer within the equal employment opportunity office at the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It was a rare opportunity  but  she  felt guilty leaving behind other women still struggling at Coleman   she  said.
These days   she  wears a business suit and enjoys the predictability of processing reports in  her  quiet cubicle  while helping to root out discrimination in other workplaces.
“I’m just happy this came to light ”  she  said about the settlement. “I want anyone to know that a female working in any ­male-dominated field should be treated with the same level of respect.”
It was a sweltering summer day when [TGT] first stepped foot into the yard as a new correctional officer at a maximum-security federal prison in Coleman  Fla. Before she started her shift  her supervisor gave her an oversize jacket to wear on top of her uniform. “In this facility  females cover up ” she said she was told.
 [TGT]transferred to the federal correctional complex in Coleman in 2005  after a new maximum security prison had opened  because she was in search of new opportunities. The sprawling ­federal complex has five prison facilities  including low- and ­medium-security facilities and two ­high-security penitentiaries.
 [TGT]became active in the union  serving as a point of contact for women who were experiencing harassment. She got calls sometimes late into the night.
In 2013  they won the first crucial victory  when an administrative judge certified the plaintiffs as a class. “I thought  ‘Okay  finally  somebody is listening to us ’”  [TGT]said.
By the time the case was being settled   [TGT]had moved to D.C.  She  took a job as a compliance officer within the equal employment opportunity office at the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It was a rare opportunity  but  she  felt guilty leaving behind other women still struggling at Coleman   she  said.
These days   she  wears a business suit and enjoys the predictability of processing reports in  her  quiet cubicle  while helping to root out discrimination in other workplaces.
“I’m just happy this came to light ”  she  said about the settlement. “I want anyone to know that a female working in any ­male-dominated field should be treated with the same level of respect.”