By C1 Staff
DAYTON, Texas — Texas is beginning to see its fair share of female wardens, and they’re walking the beat to make sure their presence is recognized.
Tracey Bailey, warden of the Estelle Unit outside Huntsville, knows that being seen earns respect from both her staff and the inmates she watches over, reports the Killeen Daily Herald.
“Coming up in the ranks as I did, I am more comfortable on the cell block than in the front office,” she said.
Warden Maricia Jackson, of the Hightower Unit which houses 600 sex offenders, knows how quickly a calm day can turn into a violent one.
She and her assistant warden, Stacey LeBlanc, are the only two women in the Texas prison system to hold the top two positions at a men’s prison.
Jackson remembers the first taste of prison violence she received, when she was a 19-year-old corrections officer working her way through college.
“It was just horrific with all the blood, just a life changing experience,” she said of an incident where several fellow officers had been attacked by inmates. “It can go from calm to not calm in the blink of an eye. It taught me that these guys will hurt you.”
But though she knows inmates can be dangerous, she knows the majority want to avoid trouble and serve their time.
“You treat people as you want to be treated, as these people may get out,” she said. “I have never had any issue because I treat people as they should be treated.”
Jackson knows that the inmates far outnumber the officers at her facility, but prisoners know the odds are stacked against them.
“Ultimately they know we are going to win,” LeBlanc said. “They are not going to leave that gate.”