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Workplace safety
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Correctional institutions are unique work settings because of the unpredictable nature of their physical environment and clientele. Correctional officers are responsible for supervising individuals whom are held against their will. The correctional officer’s main focus is that of security within the institution and for the community. However, they are typically faced with a limited amount of resources and thus must assume these responsibilities without adequate support. The relationship between work resources and job stress indicates that correctional work settings that emphasize involvement, coworker cohesion and managerial support can decrease stress levels (Waters, 1999). Unfortunately, this is a rather uncommon occurrence, leaving correctional officers to face stressors without proper intervention due to fear of stigmatization. Within law enforcement, those individuals who access “mental health” services are labeled as and treated similarly (Aredondo, Shumway, Kimball, Dersch, Morelock, 2002). However, research on effective ways to prevent or reduce the physical and psychological effects of the high levels of stress correctional officers face on a daily basis is limited and a rather new phenomenon. This literature review examines the reasons for correctional officer stress, the implications of such stress, and interventions that are being put in place to combat the consequences of such stress.
Correctional Officer Stress
Working in corrections has been associated with higher stress rates due to the unpredictable nature of the field (Parker, 2006). Correctional officers are forced into dangerous situations without adequate protection as a result of the prison environment, which can further lead to physi...
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...ons hidden behind the badge. Corrections Today, 63(6), 9-105.
Rogers, J.B. (2001). FOCUS I survey and final report: A summary of findings: Families officers and corrections understanding stress. U.S. Department of Justice.
Tewksbury, R., & Higgins, G. (2006). Prison staff and work stress: The role of organizational and emotional influences. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 30(2), 247-266.
Tracy, S.J. (2003). Correctional contradictions: A structural approach to addressing officer burnout. Corrections Today, 65(2), 90-95.
Waters, J.E. (1999). The impact of work resources on job stress among correctional treatment staff. Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling, 20(1), 26-34.
Whitecare, W.K. (2006). Measuring job satisfaction and stress at a community corrections center: An evidence-based study. Corrections Today, 68(3), 70-73.
The picture this book paints would no doubt bother corrections professionals in prisons where prisoner-staff relationships and officer solidarity are more developed. In training, Conover is told that "the most important thing you can learn here is to communicate with inmates." And the Sing Sing staff who enjoy the most success and fulfillment i...
Gilmartin, K. M. Emotional survival for law enforcement, a guide for officers and their families. 1st ed. Arizona: E-S Press, 2002.
The correctional subculture is not described as extensively as the police subculture; however, many elements of misconduct and criminal activities are similar (Pollock, 2014). The parallelism of corruption between the police and correctional officer are as follows: (1) use of force; (2) acceptance of gratuities from inmates; (3) mistreatment/sexual coercion of inmates; and (4) abuse of authority for personal gains (Pollock, 2014). According to Pardue et al. (2011), there are two types of sexual coercion found within the prison subculture and they are as follows: (1) coercion between convicts; and (2) coercion between convicts and staff members (p. 289). The Department of Corrections is aware of staff sexual abuse and harassment of women prisoners, and they have been playing “catch up” to accommodate the challenges of this persisting problem (Clear et al., 2013, p.
In order for this to happen each employee has to make sure the employee next to them is using proper verbal de-escalation skills and most importantly treating clients with respect. I use to remind new officers in corrections that they needed to treat the inmates like they would want one of their family members treated if they were incarcerated for any reason. What we need to understand is everyone has someone on the outside that cares about them; and their expectation is that person is being treated in a fair and respectful
Interpreting Contingency Table Results Introduction American jails are faced with numerous staffing problems such as the inability to recruit an adequate number of highly qualified staff and increased staff turnover (Stinchcomb & Leip, 2011; Stinchcomb & Leip, 2013). These problems are attributable to the extensive functions that jails have to undertake, coupled with inadequate funding. Consequently, jail staff have to contend with high-pressure work environments that negatively affect their morale. In this regard, this report is based on the results of the analyses performed using the National Jail Staff Data.
Police stress is viewed as a structural problem that is amongst the police culture (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). The argument made is that the working environment causes the stress. Even though a police officers job is not as dangerous officers still determine the danger as a source of stress. Police stress can be split up in to three sources: occupation, job-related and external stress (Kappeler & Potter, 2005). Just the thought of the job gives officers stress. Job-related circumstances such as responding to calls can also create stress. Finally, external sources such as personal stress can all lead to an officer being highly
This first study did not mention exactly how many officers were used in this study but it stated that 39 to 55 percent have experienced work related violence or threats. (ncjrs.gov). Most of the work related stress did not come from the offenders but from the agency itself. There are three major types of stress in the probation world, high caseloads, paper work and lastly but not least deadlines. And as many jobs have it, about 87 percent blame their supervisor for one of the causes of stress. They said the lack of advancement of the job, and recognizing well job done. (ncjrs.gov). As we can see already, each and one of these stress actors is tied to another. Now the question to ask is how these strong and willing full individual deal and cope with their stress. Some said they took extra sick days just for themselves and other by going to church, venting with family, friends or co workers and others by exercising. (ncjrs.gov)
Prison Guards, also acknowledged as correctional officers, are employees of the government and are responsible for the monitoring the inmates of a jail or prison. People see jails and prisons reenacted on the television, but the way they portray the facilities does not compare to how they are in real life. In television shows, it seems as if the building runs itself. The inmates stay inside the walls, and do whatever they feel like doing. This, however, is not how jails/prisons work. Having correctional officers is crucial for the upkeep of prisons and jails. One of a correctional officer’s main jobs is to validate that all of the inmates are safe and accounted for, and that the prison facilities are hygienic and under control.
When looking at the frontline nursing staff of the organization we see that they are charged with ensuring that the health and mental health needs of the offenders are met by the department to reduce the chances of something taking place that would place the prison in a negative light. When looking at the job duties of the front-line treatment team members, we see that they conduct common assessments for mental health, educational levels, and job placement needs of the offenders to ensure that rehabilitation goals are meet for the offender’s reentry into the communities across the state. The job duties of the food staff are to ensure that all offenders and staff members at each prison have three meals a day that may not seem like a lot to do, but it is the most vital job of all at a prison to ensure that the offenders and staff have right to eat to reduce the risk of a riot or other violent acts that can be connected to food in a prison setting. The maintenance department for the Tennessee Department of Corrections allows for each prison to run and operate efficiently by ensuring that each prison is kept up to date on all maintenance
The jobs of correctional officer are some times overlooked. Correctional officers are playing a huge role in society because they need to perform important tasks. A correctional officer’s job is not easy and can become very stressful at times. Correctional officers are required to enforce and keep order, supervise inmates, help counsel offenders, search inmate cells for contraband, and also report on inmate actions. Correctional officers need to contain power over the prisoners in order to enforce the rules of the prison, or else the prison will not function correctly. In the book, Conover says, “The essential relationship inside a prison is the one between a guard and an inmate…the guard, it is thought, wields all the power, but in truth the inmate has power too” (Conover, p. 207). In the book, the importance of power the prisoner’s hold can be seen through the sudden increase of prisoners, the Stanford Prison Experiment and through the contraband they make.
institution plays in their community; the effect of different stakeholder groups on their organizational mission; the importance of their staff in achieving the organization’s goals; and the impact of providing a safe and secure correctional environment where inmates can work toward their rehabilitation and return to live crime-free in the community” (p. 80). This is a large undertaking. It would behoove organizations to ensure that they are training staff in ways that will help promote these habits while increasing the efficacy of their organization.
In the United States prison system inmate’s struggle and face conflicts within the culture, they live in on a daily basis. Prison life is very structured and within this system, there are multiple layers of racism, bigotry, and injustice. As a result of extreme conditions and the prison climate, many prisoners often experience stressful situations that influence their mental health. In addition to mental health issues, many prisoners often experience emotional, social, organizational, and arduous physical conditions while incarcerated. Due to these harsh conditions, further research is needed in our prison systems to evaluate the impact of our prison culture and the climate that these inmates are subjected to when incarcerated. Corporate
Corrections officers are often faced with unimaginable situations in their role in providing the structure for prisoners to go back into society. In corrections facilities, there is a high turnover rate due to the physical and mental strain these officers endure. Issues such as riots, fights, gangs, dealing with inmates with mental health issues, and the potentially negative personality issues that prisoners bring with them to prison. This stress can lead to mental health issues, physical health disorders, and family problems. We need to provide them help and find ways to make the job more manageable to ensure the corrections officers are able to not only do their job, but also lead a productive life outside of work.
While the daily duties of a correctional officer can truly be viewed as the proverbial “daily grind”, they often have to perform these prison duties while dealing with stressful and often time’s very dangerous situations. While most of us on the outside world try to make a routine day more enjoyable, routine for the correctional officers within the prison is not a negative thing in the least, as a routine day is very important to the successful operation of a correctional facility. “Routine in a prison environment is the consistent, scheduled, and expected activities that make up the day within a prison” (Seiter, 2011). The grind for correctional officers can include assignments that can be supervising inmates on a working crew or in a housing area to a non-inmate contacting job in a control center or tower. Some of the categories of tasks include working in the living units, work detail supervisors, industrial shop monitor, yard officers, relief officers, perimeter security, and intake. All of
Policing is considered as one of the most stressful occupations (Alexander, 1999; Paton and Violanti, 1999; Anshel, 2000). Many of these acute stressors come from within the organization itself; lack of work autonomy and role ambiguity represents one of those forms of stress. Job stressors internal to the organization have been shown to negatively influence an employee’s commitment and motivation (Jaramillo et al., 2005). The connections between job performance and evaluations tend to be less clear for more complex jobs such as police work and these complexities may lead to increased levels of role ambiguity (Organ & Greene, 1981; Rousseau, 1978). Nonetheless, it may be possible for management to leverage aspects of organizational structure