A female corrections officer at Jefferson City Correctional Center filed a suit Thursday against the Department of Corrections, alleging a discriminatory policy decreases opportunity for advancement within the department.
The corrections officer, Savana Atkisson, said in court documents that the policy in question mandates female officers announce their presence each time they enter a wing of the housing unit. The policy also requires signs be posted the entire time female officers are in the wing and that female officers record their gender on a chronological log.
The suit alleges male officers do not have to announce when they enter a housing unit or record their gender on the log. Atkisson said the new policy "singles out females" and subjects them to "a hostile work environment based on sex."
Old department policy only required a single announcement at the beginning of a shift that a female officer was working. The new policy took effect Feb. 6, three days before Anne Precythe was confirmed as the new director of the department.
Department spokesman David Owen said the department does not comment on pending litigation, but said the policy was developed in order to comply with the Prison Rape Elimination Act. The policy states members of the opposite gender must announce their presence at the beginning of a shift if they are assigned to a housing unit, and every time they enter a housing unit if they are not assigned to it.
The policy is listed in a department procedure manual dated Dec. 17, 2016. A supervisor may waive the announcement if circumstances arise that could "compromise the safety, security and good order of the facility."
In the complaint, Atkisson said she has been "propositioned for sex, asked to show her breasts, or otherwise 'prove' that she is a woman" after announcing her entrance into a housing wing. The policy "undermines female corrections officers' authority" and enables offenders to "engage in sexually harassing speech," the suit alleges.
Atkisson said the policy decreases female employees' opportunity for advancement because it "undermines their ability to discover offender malfeasance," giving offenders time to conceal contraband. Although corrections officers do not have a quota to fill for disciplinary actions, she said, it negatively affects performance evaluations.
Because the announcement is made over the loud speaker, Atkisson said the policy "breeds offender resentment" because it wakes up inmates several times during the night. The suit also alleges the policy allows offenders to "plan and execute coordinated attacks" on officers.
Atkisson is seeking a reversal in the policy and compensatory and punitive damages.