Officer Miller and the Importance of Women in Corrections

For too long, many individuals — both inside the industry and outside of it — have viewed the world of corrections as a place for men. But as the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s (ODRC) 2018 Correction Officer of the Year shows, not only is that incorrect, but women are transforming this industry in progressive ways.

As you walk around Dayton Correctional Institution (DCI) with ODRC’s 2018 Correction Officer of the Year, Michelle Miller, one thing quickly becomes apparent — her colleagues have the utmost respect and admiration for her. As you spend time around her and the staff at DCI, it is easy to understand why she was selected for such a high honor.

Though, if you ask Officer Miller, you’d hear otherwise.

“I was definitely in shock,” Officer Miller recollects of the moment during the 2018 Ronald C. Marshall Award Ceremony when she was announced as the CO of the Year. “I just stood there and the person behind me said ‘that’s you, that’s you!’ and I still just stood there because I couldn’t believe they just said my name — there were so many others around me just as qualified.”

“Then I just started thinking about that speech, which I didn’t prepare,” she shares with a laugh.

As you can imagine, selecting one officer from among the best of the best around the state can be a difficult task. After all, as Officer Miller noted, each institution representative is qualified and well-suited for the honor. Yet, in the end, Officer Miller’s commitment to excellence and her desire to invest in those around her — staff and offenders alike — played a large role in her selection.

“Officer Miller has made significant contributions to our institution,” DCI Warden Wanza Jackson-Mitchell explained. “Her assistance in training, committee assignments, and personal development is greatly valued in creating an effective correctional team to meet the many needs of a female population.”

In just five years of service with ODRC, Officer Miller has voluntarily participated in over 16 courses at the Corrections Training Academy in an effort to, as she states, “continue to get better at my job”. A graduate of the University of Dayton with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice (with a minor in Sociology), Officer Miller is currently embarking on her journey to obtain a Master’s Degree from Indiana Wesleyan University.

While education and desire for knowledge has helped prepare her for a successful career in corrections, Officer Miller’s importance to DCI is immeasurable.

“Officer Miller has achieved the most prestigious award for ODRC and represents one of the best prisons in the state,” said Southwest Regional Director Rob Jeffreys. “She continues to reach new heights and set new goals all while staying humble and always willing to extend a hand.”

Officer Miller’s impact is also having ripples across the entire department.

“The fact that Michelle Miller was selected by her peers as the Correction Officer of the Year emphasizes her passion for wanting to make a difference in the lives of others,” shared Southeast Regional Director and head of the Ohio Women in Corrections Committee Michele Miller. “This is a great honor for Officer Miller, as well as, every female that works in the department.”

In 1983, current ODRC Director Gary Mohr, then the head of Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO), worked with then Director Rick Seiter in an effort to allow women to become correction officers in males prisons for the first time in Ohio’s history.

Fast-forward 35 years to this year’s selection of Officer Miller, the sixth female to win the DRC Correction Officer of the Year Award since its conception in 1984. For Director Mohr, it provides a proud bookend to a corrections career that began in 1974.

“Tears filled my eyes as I read Officer Miller’s name and listened as she gave her acceptance speech,” Mohr reminisced. “As she spoke, my mind raced back to those conversations back in 1983 and 1984. We fought passionately to permit women to work in the department as officers. While we faced great backlash, we knew in our hearts that the future success of this department depended on true inclusion and representation while expanding our pool of candidates to serve our agency and Ohio.”

“Watching her at the podium filled me with great admiration for the amazing work of our great officers day in and day out and how important the decision was years ago to expand our officer ranks of women. This allowed us to recognize the great work of Officer Miller, who completely represents the thousands of great women in our workforce.”

Yet, to truly appreciate where the ODRC is today, we must first look back at where we were.

“When I arrived at ODRC in January 1983, there were no female correctional officers or wardens at male facilities,” shared former director Rick Seiter. “As a result, our male institutions were very male-dominated and traditional environments, and I believed we had to change and improve the culture. Besides the fairness and equity issues, I knew the positive impact women would have in our male facilities. They were many. First, by opening officer positions to women, we would double the size of our recruitment targets for quality employees. Second, we knew that adding women to male prisons — although not always accepted by their male counterparts — would reduce the tension, improve the communication, and enhance a positive and respectful culture.”

As Seiter recollects, this cultural shift was not met by all with open arms.

“The earliest hires faced challenges and, I’m sorry to say, had to go above and beyond to prove themselves. But these pioneers were important to our department and its history, and I am proud of what they accomplished.

While standing tall in the face of adversity, these women worked diligently and professionally to continue breaking down barriers.

“We moved to promote women at every level of our male prisons, and soon had the first two women wardens at male facilities.”

Since 1983, women have been an integral part of the ODRC. And as Regional Director Miller shares, the impact has contributed directly to the nationally recognized success of the department.

“Women working in the field of corrections brings a different perspective, enhances security and improves communication,” Regional Director Miller explained. “Women oftentimes can handle issues and concerns differently that can lead to reduced violence.”

Officer Miller is a great example of bringing a different perspective to the workplace. Though, for her, it’s all in a day’s work.

“I just come to work and do the best I can. We have an opportunity to treat people in our custody in a positive and caring way that can change their lives for the better.”

Though she may be the last one to brag about herself, those who work with her daily can attest that it is no surprise she won this prestigious award.

“She is so deserving, and we could not be prouder,” Warden Jackson-Mitchell said. “Especially being a female institution and having a female officer receive this honor. It symbolizes our standards of professionalism as well as the career development of our staff. The sky is truly the limit for Officer Miller going forward.”

As we exited the institution with Officer Miller, we followed behind as she greeted her coworkers and spoke with offenders around the compound. Her kindness and professionalism were on full display, without it being an intentional act. It was part of who she is as an individual and the expectation she has set forth for herself.

35 years later, no one is questioning if there is place for women in the field of corrections. Instead they are recognizing Officer Miller and countless other women around the country for the progressive work being done to change lives for the better.