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Prison violence is a major concern in most correctional institutions. One intervention frequently used to reduce violent behavior is cognitive therapy. An involuntary cognitive program at a Midwestern state prison was evaluated for its impact on official misconduct. A total of 213 inmates were randomly assigned to the treatment (CHANGE) group (n = 122) and the control group (n = 91). The specific outcomes measured were disobeying a direct order, insolence, violent, nonviolent, and total number of infractions. Using general linear univariate model analyses, the only statistically significant but important difference found was the reduction of violence for the CHANGE group after 6 months. (Contains 5 tables.)

Previous literature exploring the relationship between correctional officer orientations toward treatment and punishment is inconsistent at best. One rarely studied aspect is the influence of distributive and procedural justice on correctional staff support for treatment and punishment. For this study, ordinary least squares regression analysis of survey responses from 272 correctional officers revealed that distributive justice did not impact support for treatment or punishment. Procedural justice, however, was positively associated with support for treatment and negatively associated with support for punishment. Overall, the results of this study suggest further research in this area is needed. (Contains 2 tables and 1 note.)

Rehabilitation is a salient goal in the field of corrections. Correctional staff need to be supportive of rehabilitation efforts in order for them to be effective. Past studies that have examined correctional staff support for rehabilitation have produced conflicting results. Most studies have focused on personal characteristics, including age, gender, job position, tenure, education, marital status, prior military service, and race. To expand the area of inquiry and assess potential antecedents of the work environment regarding correctional staff support for inmate rehabilitation, this study examined the impact of the integrative work environment (i.e., dangerousness of the job, role stress, supervision, job variety, work-on-family conflict, family-on-work conflict, integration, instrumental communication, input into decision-making, organizational fairness, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment) on staff attitudes toward the treatment of offenders while controlling for the personal characteristics of gender, age, tenure, position, educational level, and race. The findings indicate that job variety, integration, and organizational commitment had positive associations with support for treatment of inmates, while work-on-family conflict had an inverse relationship. Correctional officers were less supportive of treatment than noncustodial staff. (Contains 2 tables.)