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Studies have revealed that some, but not all, jail custody officers fear workplace victimization. The job demands-resources theoretical model holds that job demands result in strain, increasing the chances of negative outcomes, such as job burnout, decreased job satisfaction, and fear of being harmed on the job. This framework also contends that job resources help reduce psychological strain, and, in turn, reduce negative outcomes, including fear of victimization at work. Survey results from 587 custody officers from a large county correctional system in Florida were analyzed in order to determine how various workplace demand and resource variables were related to perceived danger at work. Our multivariate analytical models revealed that the resource variables of instrumental communication, perceptions that infectious disease among inmates being properly handled, perceptions that inmates were properly controlled, perceptions that security was proper, and supervisor support were related to decreased perceptions of danger, while formalization (a resource variable) and role strain (a demand variable) were related to increased perceptions of danger. Overall, there was partial support for the job demands-resources model, with some variables having significant effects and others not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ideological debate over the ability of involuntary programs to modify inmate behavior permeates the treatment literature. Ideology aside, research reveals that programs targeting high-risk offenders are most likely to reduce recidivism even though this group is the least likely to participate voluntarily. With the current economic environment and the continued disappearance of prevention/rehabilitation funding, it may be more cost-effective to target those who need it the most. Interviews were conducted with a sample of inmates involuntarily placed into a Cognitive Housing Approach: New Goals Environment (CHANGE) program as well as the staff who worked with the program. Responses from both inmates and staff support the use of involuntary programs for high risk populations. These qualitative results indicate that behavioral change was occurring for the majority of program participants despite being forced to participate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While recent studies have demonstrated several negative effects of work-family conflict for correctional employees, none have examined the impact of work-family conflict on the organizational citizenship behaviors of correctional personnel. To help fill this gap in the research, this study examined the relationship between four types of work-family conflict and organizational citizenship behaviors for 160 correctional staff of a private Midwestern maximum security prison for juveniles adjudicated as adults. Based on the job demands model of person-environment fit theory, strain-based conflict, time-based conflict, behavior-based conflict, and family-on-work conflict were predicted to relate negatively with employee organizational citizenship behaviors. Results supported only two of the four predictions. While both strain-based conflict and family-on-work conflict were negatively associated with organizational citizenship behaviors, time-based conflict and behavior-based conflict had non-significant relationships. Discussion focuses on the comparative levels of strain produced by the different types of work-family conflict and ways that correctional agencies can minimize work-on-family conflict strain to enhance the organizational citizenship behaviors of their personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the relationship between the perceptions of organizational justice and job involvement among correctional staff of the U.S. It further discusses distributive justice and procedural justice as dimensions of organizational justice. It mentions that workplace unfairness perceptions can lead to psychological strain for the employees. Also discussed are how the work environment can affect the job stress, job satisfaction and staff's organizational commitment.

Satisfied correctional officers are important for the successful operation of a prison. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis (HMR) was performed on survey data from 501 non-supervisory correctional officers employed in a Southern prison system. After controlling for factors such as demographic variables, role conflict, job stress, peer support, and supervisory support, correctional officers who perceived inmates as devious were less satisfied with their jobs; however, age and supervisory support positively influenced job satisfaction, whereas job dangerousness and role conflict negatively influenced job satisfaction. Although statistically significant, the association of perceptions of inmates on job satisfaction was small relative to the work environment. The results suggest that correctional administrators need to focus on the work environment, especially supervisory support, to improve correctional staff job satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the impact of strain and burnout on correctional employees in the U.S. The study suggests that burnout among correctional employers can lead to decreased work performance, reduced quality of interactions, and increased absenteeism. It defines burnout as a result of an imbalance of work forces, demands and resources, and results in a psychological strain for the worker.

There are two fundamental models used to explain the attitudes and behaviors of correctional staff The first is the Importation Model, which holds that work attitudes are primarily shaped by factors that employees bring with them to the workplace, and the second is the Work Environment Model, which holds that employee work attitudes are primarily shaped by dimensions of the work environment. Most of the correctional staff literature on job satisfaction and organizational commitment has supported the Work Environment Model but not the Importation Model; however, most of the research on the Importation Model has focused on demographic characteristics, which tend to be weak measures of imported factors. This study examined the impact of work ethic and importance of money as importation factors, and trust in management, participation in management, and support by management as work environment factors, on the job satisfaction and organizational commitment among staff at a private Midwestern correctional organization. The findings provide support for both models. Specifically, work ethic and trust in management had statistically significant effects on job satisfaction, while work ethic, trust in management, and participation in management had significant effects on organizational commitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working in a correctional institute is often a demanding and stressful job. This study examined the impact of job characteristics and job involvement on correctional staff job stress. Specifically, the effects of supervision, perceived dangerousness of the job, job variety, feedback, role stress, and job involvement were studied, while controlling for the effects of the personal characteristics of gender, educational level, race, age, and tenure. Using Ordinary Least Squared regression, it was observed that gender, age, perceived dangerousness of the job, feedback, role stress, and job involvement had statistically significant effects on correctional staff job stress. Tenure, educational level, race, supervision, and job variety had non-significant effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the issue of absenteeism and the views of absenteeism of correctional personnel. The author hypothesizes that job involvement, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job stress are related to absenteeism and views on the use of sick leave. In a survey of a Midwestern correctional facility staff members, the author concludes that correctional administrators need to take into serious consideration the issue of absenteeism and views towards it.

Over the last few decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of women entering the traditionally male-dominated field of corrections. During this time, researchers, using a variety of different methodological techniques, have attempted to disentangle the potential gender differences among correctional personnel. In building on this research, the following study surveyed correctional staff at a Midwestern high security state prison in the fall of 2000 in order to determine whether male and female correctional staff differed in their perceptions of the work environment, as well as their general attitudes toward their jobs. A total of 28 work environment indices were measured, including occupational attitudes not traditionally examined. Bivariate results indicated gender differences in perceptions of dangerousness, role ambiguity, role conflict, input into decision-making, job autonomy, supervision, punishment ideology, and job satisfaction; however, after controlling for age, race, education, position, tenure, and supervisory status, only dangerousness and job satisfaction remained statistically significant. The implications of these contemporary findings for correctional research and practice are also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past twenty years, there has been significant growth in the literature on correctional staff. Much of this literature has examined how the work environment helps shape the job satisfaction of correctional employees. Conversely, little empirical attention has been devoted to the broader concept of life satisfaction. The current study attempts to fill this empirical void by examining whether job satisfaction and occupational stressors (in the forms of job stress, work-family conflict, role stress, and perceived dangerous) had any impact on the life satisfaction of correctional staff Based on a multi-variate analysis, we find that job satisfaction, job stress, work-family conflict, and dangerousness had significant effects on life satisfaction. An additional analysis of the effects of life satisfaction revealed a significant relationship to workers' turnover intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]