Ninety percent of the time, prison life resembles nothing like that which is portrayed on television. According to Rebecca Bendiksen Adams, senior warden of the Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville, she spends much of her time easing the minds of concerned prisoners’ families.

"I have to ensure that offenders remain inside the unit to protect the public," she says. "But while they are here, I must also make sure that they are safe. I've been in these female facilities for 20 years and I've never seen the level of violence that is shown on television."

Adams has served at the Murray Unit since last July. Previously, she oversaw the Linda Woodman State Jail, where she was named the 2001 Warden of the Year by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-State Jail Division. "It was a real big honor to be selected by the directors of the division. It basically means my jail passed security audits, and the offenders’ families were satisfied with their treatment there. Although the award is presented to me, it is really a reflection of the hard work and professionalism of my staff."

Not coincidentally, she was quickly promoted to the larger Murray Unit, a higher security women's prison. "It's definitely a bigger challenge here with more aggressive criminals serving longer sentences. You have to be on your toes." She is familiar with the unit as she served as assistant warden at Murray before opening up Woodman in 1997.

Adams has known that she wanted to work in law enforcement since the first time she saw Bonnie and Clyde. "Well, that or I hoped to play music professionally," says the former high school all-state French horn player. "I really wanted to be a cop, but at the time, women were only allowed to be meter maids." So she attended Blynn College to major in music and eventually earned a music scholarship to Southwestern.

In October 1978, she lost everything she owned in the dorm fire that burned down the Sneed House on Southwestern's campus. The outpour of support Adams and the other women received from the community surprised her. "Gold's Department Store gave us each a set of clothes, and students raised both money and clothes for us. That's when I knew that I chose the right place to go to school."

She went on to earn a sociology degree in 1980 and got her first job at a senior citizens center because of a college internship she served with Meals on Wheels. The following year she applied for a parole officer position inside a prison unit. "I had no experience in criminal justice, but the interviewers were impressed by my degree from Southwestern, so I got the job—and loved it!"

Within a few years she was named supervisor of parole officers, a position she kept until 1994 when she left to accept the assistant warden position at Murray.

Adams and her spouse, Steve, have been married for 20 years. They have an 18-year-old daughter, Quenby. Adams serves on the Gatesville Chamber of Commerce and the Coryell County Child Welfare Board. She is a member of the National Exchange Club, a service organization working to prevent child abuse.

She says that while she works in a dangerous place, she has never feared for her own safety. "I'm aware of where I am, and I know offenders can be aggressive, but I have staff close by me at all times. They watch out for me." In fact, she says the most difficult part of her job has nothing to do with safety.

"Watching the women's children come visit and then have to leave is always tough. Most of them are hurt by a situation they had no control over, and their lives are totally disrupted. Eighty-five percent of the offenders here were the primary caregivers for their children."

However, when she hears about a former inmate succeeding and living a clean life, Adams says that reward makes all her efforts well worth it.

"If anyone were to think of going into corrections, they should know that it is a very high stress career that requires you to completely detach yourself when the gates close behind you at night. But it is very rewarding and always interesting. I wouldn't choose anything else to do with my life."