Three local women go to jail every working day and wouldn’t have it any other way.

One of them, Erna Craig-Rea, is deputy warden at the Mercer County Jail, which usually houses 40 to 45 female inmates and about 200 to 240 males.

Not only are females outnumbered inside the cells, but also when it comes to guarding the cells.

In 1981, county jail officials were looking to hire a woman with a medical background to become the jail’s first female guard. Mrs. Craig-Rea was an emergency medical technician and decided to apply for the position. She slowly worked her way up to counselor, then captain in 1995 before being promoted in 2005 to deputy warden.

Mrs. Craig-Rea realized early in her career that there would be no special provisions just because of her gender.

“I think I was put to the test, to see if I could measure up to male co-workers,” she said. “It started out rough, but made me stronger because I strived super hard to prove myself worthy.”

Mrs. Craig-Rea said she took the challenge and went about laying the groundwork for other female prison guards who would follow.

“I tried to set the path, so we would be, in the prison, as equals,” she said.

Today, more and more women are entering the field.

Dealing with the daily stresses of interacting with everyone from inmates, fellow guards, supervisors and prison board members is no easy task –– particularly when it comes to inmates with behavioral problems.

“A lot of the inmates’ lives become our responsibility,” Mrs. Craig-Rea said. “So when their daily needs, mental health and physical well-being go out of sync, or if something isn’t right, it causes stress.”

Her years of experience have shown her that female guards and officers are no less capable than their male counterparts.

“There are no physical limitations because we are expected to attend the same training, use the same weapons, reach the same qualifications, so there is no differentiation,” Mrs. Craig-Rea said. “Some women are tough, if not tougher than some men,” she added.

Gender is observed during strip searches, which are conducted by female guards for female inmates and by male guards for male inmates.

Guards, who are not allowed to carry weapons in the prison, must rely on their police academy training to protect themselves against attacks.