question from an aspiring social worker :)
hey guys!
so i’m a graduating senior from high school and will be majoring in social work next fall in college. My dream is to become a social worker in a prison or jail as a counselor or group therapy counselor. I’m really passionate abt teaching psycho education and lowering recidivism rates.
when i get to college, im wanting to maybe minor in criminology to work towards this goal.
something im kind of worried about in the long run is my size. I know that sounds really weird but i’m a female who’s 5’5 and 105lbs.
I feel like if I had to protect myself or stop a physical altercation in a prison or jail type setting, i’d be unable to. I’m genuinely asking those who work as a social worker (specifically those in prisons or jails) - is this something that would put me at risk in the workplace?
again this might be a really stupid worry. Ofc I know that physical altercations are prob not too common but i also know that it’s something that could happen. I also still want to be a social worker regardless of whether it’s for the criminal justice system or not- but i’m really passionate about recidivism and i would ideally choose that.
thanks for the support :)