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This study examined the influence of job demands (role ambiguity, role conflict, role overload and dangerousness) and job resources (job variety, supervisor structure and training views) on employee perceptions of procedural justice, general perceptions of distributive justice, and specific perceptions of distributive justice. Using a sample of 160 employees at a high‐security prison, the regression analyses found that only demands of role conflict was inversely correlated with procedural justice and both distributive justice measures. Role ambiguity was inversely related to procedural but was not related to either dimension of distributive justice. Furthermore, dangerousness was inversely associated with distributive justice (both general and specific), but it was not correlated with procedural justice. Among the job resources, job variety was positively associated with procedural and both distributive justice measures. Supervisor structure was predictive of procedural but not distributive justice. Role overload, and training views had non‐significant relationships with all the justice measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many correctional officers who work in close proximity with inmates are at a heightened risk of experiencing feelings of psychological distress. We analyzed 501 surveys collected from correctional officers within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to identify characteristics of officers who are likely to exhibit signs of depression. Our findings reveal that female officers, as well as officers who work in higher custody levels, are more likely than other officers to report higher levels of depressive symptomatology. We also found that officers who experienced high levels of self-reported job-related stress were more likely to suffer from depression. Officers with attitudes favorable to the mistreatment of inmates also reported higher levels of depression. Officers who perceived their coworkers were engaging in boundary violations were no more or less likely to exhibit signs of depression. Given these findings, we conclude that organizational and supervisory support, coupled with positive incentives and employee assistance programs, may help mitigate the risks of depression for correctional officers, thereby making these salient staff more efficient and effective in the prison workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most employees, including prison employees, want their employers to treat them fairly. Distributive justice (perceived fairness of outcomes) and procedural justice (perceived fairness of processes and procedures) are important dimensions of organisational justice. Limited research among correctional staff in the US suggests that views of distributive and procedural justice spill over and result in a strain‐based form of work‐family conflict. Strain‐based conflict occurs when work problems follow a person home and create conflict at home. Based on multivariate regression analysis of survey data from 120 Nigerian prison staff, distributive justice had significant negative effects on the strain‐based form of work‐family conflict. Contrary to findings among US staff, procedural justice did not have a similar significant association. The connection between views of organisational justice and strain‐based work‐family conflict appears to vary by nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of the current study was to assess the role of organizational justice in understanding prison staff job stress. Specifically, the authors surveyed 322 correctional employees across two prisons located in Guangzhou, China to explore the effects of distributive, procedural, informational, and interpersonal justice on work stress. Results from ordinary least squares analysis revealed significant contributions from three dimensions of organizational justice in explaining stress from work among prison workers. Prison personnel who had higher perceptions of interpersonal, distributive, and procedural justice in the organization were less likely to report being stressed. In addition, men were more likely to report higher levels of work tension than women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correctional officers are a valuable and expensive resource for prisons. Working as a correctional officer is a unique experience; it involves controlling incarcerated individuals, and this results in demands that can wear on officers, increasing chances of suffering depression. Social support has been postulated to help buffer the negative effects of working in a prison and reduce depressive symptomatology. Using data from 501 correctional officers employed in a Southern prison system, this study examined the relationship between the three types of social support – family, coworker, and supervisor – on depression symptoms measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD) scale. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression results indicated both family support and supervisor support were significantly related to the level of depression symptoms; coworker support, however, had a nonsignificant association. The results indicate efforts should be made to raise family support and supervisor support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Officers are a valuable resource for prisons across the globe. Working in corrections is a demanding job with a higher-than-average risk of job burnout. Most prison burnout studies have focused on staff working in Western prisons, particularly those in the U.S. These studies have generally found an association between work attitudes and burnout among prison officers. However, a key question is whether the associations are universal or contextual, varying by nation. The current study examined the link between the major work attitudes of job involvement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment and the burnout dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feeling ineffective at work among staff at two Chinese prisons. According to the results of ordinary least squares multivariate regression tests, job involvement, and job satisfaction had significant negative effects on emotional exhaustion, but commitment did not. Only job involvement had significant negative effects on depersonalization. Job involvement and organizational commitment had significant negative effects on feeling ineffective, while job satisfaction had non-significant effects. The results indicate that the major work attitudes are negatively linked to job burnout for the studied Chinese prison staff; efforts should be undertaken to build these work attitudes to reduce burnout since burnout is linked to negative consequences for officers, inmates, and the prison. Based on previous research and current findings, some of the effects of work attitudes appear to be universal, and others appear to be contextual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correctional institutions are manpower-intensive organizations, and organizational commitment is important for their successful functioning. This study uses the job demands model to examine effect of workplace variables on organizational commitment. Using a sample of 163 correctional officers from a prison in Haryana State, India, we find that job demands (fear of being hurt and work and role overload) have no significant effect of organizational commitment. All four components of job resources (instrumental communication, job autonomy, quality of supervision, and job variety) were found to be positively and significantly associated with organizational commitment. The study highlights the importance of adequate knowledge of job resources in trying to raise the affective commitment of correctional officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study explored the effects of coworker, supervisor, and management trust on the job involvement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment of Nigerian prison staff working in a prison in southeast Nigeria. In multivariate regression, only management trust was a significant positive predictor of job involvement. Supervisor and management trust, but not coworker trust, had significant positive associations with organizational commitment. All three dimensions of organizational trust had significant positive relationships with job satisfaction. These results suggest that both supervisory and management trust are important to correctional officers in Nigeria, which are similar to empirical research studies in the United States. The effects of trust may be universal among correctional staff across different cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staff are the most vital resource for any correctional facility. As corrections is a very expensive budget item in the U.S., finding and keeping dedicated employees is essential. Organizational commitment refers the bond between correctional staff and their institution. A strong bond is essential for the safety and security of both employees and inmates, as well as ensuring that the institution runs effectively. This review explores past research on three different types of organizational commitment (affective, moral, and continuance), in order to summarize past results and to reveal areas remaining unexplored. This paper examines both the antecedents and outcomes of organizational commitment. Through a systematic review of past studies, we have identified both positive and negative workplace factors that influence organizational commitment. In addition, we report how organizational commitment affects various outcomes, such as burnout and turnover intent. Understanding how to increase staff commitment can provide a blueprint for administrators to enhance correctional operations and employee satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trust is crucial to the proper functioning of organizations. Trust has been examined at many levels, and researchers have recently expanded the study of trust to include areas ranging from the neuroscience of trust to the influence of institutional trust on product sales and marketing. While academic interest in trust has grown, research on trust and job stress among correctional employees is rare. The current study evaluated the relationships between three types of trust (coworker, supervisor, and management trust) and correctional staff job stress. Using staff survey data from a Southern prison, two multivariate OLS regression equations were estimated – one for all surveyed staff and a second for the subgroup of correctional officers – in order to determine how the three types of organizational trust related to job stress. Results indicated that trust in coworkers mattered for correctional officers only and that trust in supervisors and management had a greater influence on job stress both for all correctional staff and for the subgroup of correctional officers. Specifically, those with higher levels of supervisor and management trust reported lower levels of job stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employees' positive perceptions of organizational justice are crucial to the successful operation of correctional institutions. Employees who perceive their employer treats them justly and fairly report less job-related stress and happier home lives. Organizational justice has two primary components – procedural and distributive justice – that have been examined relative to job satisfaction and job performance. The current study builds on the existing literature and examines the effects that perceptions of procedural and distributive justice have on the strain-based form of work-family conflict. Specifically, the goal of this study is to determine whether these two forms of justice were related to the strain that correctional employees bring home with them. Data collected from a large Southern correctional institution indicate that perceptions of procedural justice related significantly to reported levels of the strain-based form of work-family conflict and that staff with the highest perceptions of procedural justice reported the lowest levels of strain-based work-family conflict. This did not hold true for distributive justice, however, which was found to be statistically unrelated to work-family strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on victimization has progressed dramatically over the last four decades. This research has identified important individual and contextual predictors of both fear and perceived risk. Nevertheless, few studies have examined perceptions of safety among corrections employees. The current study used data from 322 correctional staff working at a large Southern prison to explore personal and workplace predictors of perceived safety. Specifically, it examined the effects of personal and workplace variables on three measures of perceived safety: perceived dangerousness of the job, concerns about inmate-on-staff physical assault, and concerns about inmates verbally assaulting staff. Across all three measures of perceived safety, workplace characteristics mattered more than personal characteristics. The personal and workplace variables were grouped into fear facilitators (i.e., variables that increase perceptions of one's safety being at risk) and fear inhibitors (i.e., variables that decrease perceptions of one's safety being at risk). Gender, age, and organizational climate (i.e., disobedient inmates, unethical staff behaviors, role ambiguity, and overload) represented fear facilitators and social support (i.e., support from coworkers, supervisors, and home), quality training, and input into decision-making represented fear inhibitors. In the current study both fear facilitators and fear inhibitors were important, but the nature of their effects differed depending on the employee's position and the type of perceived safety under consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working in prisons is a demanding career. While a growing number of studies have explored the predictors of job stress, job involvement, and job satisfaction, very few studies have examined how job stress, job involvement, and job satisfaction effect prison staff life satisfaction. Moreover, past studies on prison staff life satisfaction have all been conducted among those working in the United States. The current study examined how job stress, job involvement and job satisfaction were associated with satisfaction with life among surveyed staff at two Chinese prisons. Job involvement and job satisfaction had positive effects on life satisfaction, while job stress had a negative effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correctional research has just begun to explore the effects of variables and their differences over the course of a career within the field. This study examined several correctional staff outcomes and how they varied over three identified career stages (initial, establishment, and maintenance) at a state-government operated prison. Results indicated that job involvement, job satisfaction, affective commitment, moral commitment, and turnover intent were highest during the initial stage of employment, which is contrary to other occupations. Job stress and continuance commitment remained equal across all three career stages. Findings suggest that the effects on career stages are contextual and vary across different types of organizations. Furthermore, the strains and stresses of working in a correctional institution may not be cumulative but remain steady across a career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The job satisfaction of staff is vital for the effective functioning of any organization. Many studies have been conducted that examine the job satisfaction of correctional officers, though mostly in Western nations. To examine job satisfaction in a cross-cultural setting, this study uses survey data from a sample of 163 correctional officers in a prison in the State of Haryana, India. We examine how job demands (perceived dangerousness of the job and role overload) and job resources (instrumental communication, job autonomy, quality supervision, and job variety) affect job satisfaction. The results indicate that all four job resource variables had significant positive associations with job satisfaction, while neither job demand variable was significantly related to job satisfaction. The implications of the study for policy are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Job satisfaction is an important predictor of organizational efficiency and effectiveness; it can also predict attitudes and behaviors of staff. The field of organizational studies contains an ever-expanding quantity of empirical research on satisfaction, including research specifically focused on community corrections; however, no published research in the English language on satisfaction regarding community corrections in China currently exists. Using data from 225 community correctional officers from 15 counties (or equivalents) in Hubei, China in 2013, this study examined community correctional staff’s satisfaction and its predictors. The majority of Chinese community correctional officers were satisfied with their jobs. Role clarity, formalization, and perceived promotional opportunities were significant predictors of the satisfaction. Although distributive justice and procedural justice have often been found to be predictors of job satisfaction in the United States, particularly procedural justice, they were not predictors of job satisfaction among this group of Chinese community correctional staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correctional staff job burnout is costly to all involved. As such, it has generated a growing body of research. This study reviewed 53 empirical studies of correctional staff burnout and two review articles published between 1981 and 2014. The majority of studies focused on staff working in a variety of institutional positions, fewer studies focused exclusively on the subgroup of correctional officers, and even fewer focused on a different subgroup. The majority of studies also involved staff at US government-run adult prisons. Most but not all studies utilized Maslach’s Burnout Inventory. Research on the antecedents of job burnout among correctional staff is more common than research on the possible consequences or outcomes of job burnout. Interestingly, despite the empirical emphasis on antecedents of burnout, there has been almost no research on effective interventions designed to deal with correctional staff burnout. Based on this narrative review, significant gaps remain in the research on correctional staff burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite increased representation in correctional work settings, women still encounter obstacles in this male-dominated occupation—obstacles that have the potential to affect their levels of job stress and job satisfaction. Although gender-based differences in job stress and job satisfaction have been analyzed in several prison settings, much less work has been conducted in the often neglected correctional arena of jails. The current study fills this empirical void by examining jail staff at a large county correctional system in Orlando, Florida. Ordinary least squares regression analysis indicated that different facets of the work environment differentially affected the job stress and job satisfaction of 419 women and 493 men working in a large urban jail system. Specifically, role ambiguity, perceived dangerousness, coworker relations, input into decision making, and administrative support had larger effects on job stress for women compared to men. For job satisfaction, the only workplace variable to have a gendered effect was administrative support, which also had a greater effect for women than men. The findings reveal gender-related differences, especially in terms of job stress. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recent literature has found that organizational commitment of correctional staff is highly influenced by the workplace and can either result in positive or negative behaviors. Most research, though, has examined predictors of only one type of commitment. This study looked at three types of commitment (continuance, moral, and affective) and their influence on the outcomes of correctional orientation, views of absenteeism, and turnover intent. The results indicate that the three dimensions of commitment varied in their impact on the organization outcomes and provide insight into the complex nature of the bonds that tie employees to this unique organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though work–family conflict has been linked to negative outcomes for both correctional facilities and staff, little research has been conducted on how workplace factors may be related to it. This study tested nine hypotheses based on the job demand–resource model. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis of survey data from 160 staff revealed that while most job demand variables (i.e., the role stressors of role conflict, role overload, and perceived dangerousness) predicted work–family conflict, the same did not hold for job resource variables (i.e., the workplace factors of job autonomy, supervision, job variety, instrumental communication, and integration). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding strategies to prevent burnout is imperative for correctional administrators. Ordinary least squares regression analyses of survey results from 160 employees at a private prison for offenders aged 14 to 19 who were tried as adults were used to examine the effects of affective and continuance commitments on the three dimensions of staff burnout. The results indicate that affective commitment had a negative association with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of reduced accomplishment, while continuance commitment had a positive relationship with these dimensions of burnout. Of the control variables, tenure had a positive association with emotional exhaustion, age had a negative relationship with depersonalization, and average daily contact with inmates had a positive association with feelings of reduced accomplishment. One strategy that administrators could employ to reduce staff burnout is to strengthen staffs’ emotional ties and feelings of loyalty to the organization, while attempting to decrease perceptions that the employee is trapped in the job. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]

Role stress is an important aspect of the prison workplace that impairs organizational functioning and can have negative effects for correctional staff. While the effects of role stress on correctional workers are largely known, few studies have examined the causes of role stress. The current study explores potential antecedents of role stress among 160 correctional staff at a private Midwestern prison. Multivariate OLS (ordinary least squares) regression analysis identified five statistically significant predictors of role stress: instrumental communication, supervisory support, formalization, job autonomy, and race. The results suggest that correctional managers and supervisors can reduce role stress substantially by clarifying the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of employees, creating a supportive atmosphere for workers, and identifying areas where staff can have greater control over their jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the research on correctional staff over the past two decades has focused on how the job environment and demographic variables influence job stress and job satisfaction. The issue of job involvement has largely been ignored. As correctional employees are such an important part of corrections, understanding how job stressors affect job involvement is essential. An analysis of survey data from a private correctional facility in the US Midwest examined the effects of the relationship between the job stressors of role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, and perceived dangerous of the job with job involvement. Multivariate analysis with ordinary least squares ( OLS) regression indicated that role conflict and dangerousness of the job had significant effects on job involvement, but role ambiguity and role overload did not. It is hoped that this study will spark further research in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the recent burgeoning of the private prison industry, little research has focused on private prison personnel. This study attempts to help fill this research gap by examining the relationship between two distinct forms of organizational commitment, continuance and affective, and the withdrawal outcomes of absenteeism and turnover intent for personnel at a Midwestern U.S. private prison. Results of an ordinary least squares (OLS) multivariate regression analysis supported our prediction of an inverse relationship between affective organizational commitment and the withdrawal outcomes of absenteeism and turnover intent; however, contrary to our hypotheses, the analysis indicated no statistically significant relationship between continuance organizational commitment and these withdrawal outcomes, after controlling for custody position, gender, age, tenure, education, race, and supervisory status. Our results suggest that enhancing employees’ affective organizational bonds should be a priority for private correctional facilities because it has positive effects for both employees and the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Much of the research on correctional officers over the past two decades has focused on job stress, job satisfaction, the job environment and how demographic variables such as gender, race, health and family conflict have influenced stress and job satisfaction. Little attention, however, has been placed on organizational citizenship and its relationship to correctional staff. Using survey data from a private correctional facility in the Midwest, this article examined how the stressors of role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload and perceived dangerousness of the job affected organizational citizenship behaviors. In multivariate analysis, role ambiguity was found to have a significant negative effect on organizational citizenship behaviors, and perceived dangerous of the job had a significant positive effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jail staff are the heart and soul of any jail. Jails rely on staff to complete a myriad of tasks and duties in order to maintain a safe, secure, and humane jail facility. One area of importance is job involvement (i.e., the psychosocial bond between the staff member with his or her job). The current study examined the job characteristics model to explain job involvement among staff at a large county correctional system in Orlando, Florida. The job characteristic variables were formalization, instrumental communication, relations with coworkers, input into decision making, job variety, perceived dangerousness of the job, role strain, and administrative support. It was found that formalization, input into decision making, and administrative support all had positive associations with job involvement. The implications of these findings for correctional researchers and practitioners are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

This exploratory study examined several propositions of person—environment fit theory in an adult midwestern correctional facility oriented toward treatment. Special attention was given to the manner that person—organization fit influenced correctional staff outcomes. Drawing from the need—supply fit framework of person—environment fit theory, the authors predicted that correctional staff whose values and objectives were congruent with those of the institution would experience better outcomes than staff whose values and objectives were not congruent. The results generally supported these propositions. Staff who supported punishment had higher levels of role stress and work—family conflict, had lower levels of life satisfaction and moral commitment, and were more likely to perceive the organization as unfair. Conversely, correctional staff who were supportive of treatment perceived higher levels of integration and had higher moral commitment. These results suggest that efforts to increase value congruence between staff and the institution will improve outcomes among correctional staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the research on correctional officers over the past two decades has focused on job stress, job satisfaction, the job environment, and how demographic variables such as gender, race, health and family conflict influenced stress and job satisfaction. Because correctional staff is such an integral part of corrections, understanding job involvement and its impact on correctional employees is important, yet it has received little attention in the literature. Using survey data from a private correctional facility in the Midwest, the authors examined the effects of job involvement on job stress, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, absenteeism, and turnover intentions. A multivariate analysis indicated that job involvement had significant effects on all the predicted outcome variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined a gendered model of the effects of supervisory factors on job outcomes for both men and women. Two competing hypotheses, the importation-differential experiences model and the work role prisonization model, guided the analyses of the effects of supervisor support, supervisor structure, and supervisor trust on job stress, job satisfaction, and affective organizational commitment. Data came from surveys of 160 correctional staff employed at a Midwestern prison. The results provide substantial support for the work model and less support for the importation model. Few differences were found in how men and women respond to supervisory factors. The implications of these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Correctional organizations need committed, relatively unstressed, and satisfied staff. Thus, it is important to identify and understand the factors that help shape the job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment of correctional workers. Past research has shown that many different dimensions of the work environment are important predictors. Yet not all dimensions of the work environment have been examined, including perceptions of organizational innovation. Thus, it is unclear whether and how perceptions of organizational innovation may influence the job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment of correctional employees. Using survey data from staff at a Midwestern correctional facility, the effects of perceptions of organizational innovation are studied while controlling for the shared effects of other salient work environment dimensions (i.e., job variety, job autonomy, and perceived dangerousness of the job) and personal characteristics (i.e., gender, age, position, tenure, educational level, and race). In multivariate analyses, perceptions of organizational innovation had a statistically negative association with job stress, whereas it had statistically significant positive associations with job satisfaction and organizational commitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In any nation, correctional staff are the greatest asset of any correctional facility. In an era where rising costs, shrinking budgets, and personnel shortages are common, it is increasingly important to provide a positive work environment to ensure worker stability. The research indicates that job burnout is a negative response that is influenced by the work environment. This study examined the effects of organisational structure on emotional burnout among correctional staff at a state-run prison. Promotional opportunity, integration, formalisation, instrumental communication, and input into decision making are the major forms of organisational structure. In addition to the above forms of organisational structure, the amount of daily contact and the personal characteristics of tenure, position, educational level, race, age, gender, and supervisory status were included as independent variables. In a multivariate analysis, supervisory status, degree of inmate contact, promotional opportunity, formalisation, instrumental communication, and input into decision making all had statistically significant associations with emotional burnout. The results support the postulation that organisational structure influences the emotional burnout of correctional staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burnout, a syndrome caused by excessive strain and psychological exhaustion, comprises the dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of being ineffective. Survey results from 160 correctional staff at a maximum security private prison in the Midwest were used to compute ordinary least squares regression equations in order to reveal the effects of burnout on the outcomes of life satisfaction, turnover intent, and absenteeism. Ineffectiveness was linked with none of the three outcomes. Depersonalization was linked with increased turnover intent and more frequent absenteeism, and emotional exhaustion was linked with all three outcomes. The results differed somewhat between female and male staff and between correctional and noncorrectional officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-family conflict and job burnout are both issues for 272 correctional staff (response rate of 68%). The two major forms of work-family conflict are work-on-family conflict and family-on-work conflict. Multivariate analysis of survey data from 272 correctional staff at a state prison indicated work-on-family conflict had a significant positive relation with job burnout, while family-on-work conflict did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributive and procedural justice, two dimensions of organizational justice, have been found to be salient antecedents of many correctional staff attitudes, such as job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment; however, little correctional research has examined their relationships with the life satisfaction, burnout, and turnover intent. Multivariate regression equations were estimated to determine the association of personal characteristics, distributive justice, and procedural justice with the life satisfaction, burnout, and turnover intent of correctional employees based on a survey of 160 staff at a private midwestern maximum security institution. Both distributive and procedural justice had a statistically significant inverse association with burnout and turnover intent, while procedural justice had a significant positive relationship with life satisfaction. Additionally, the results indicated that the association of procedural justice was larger than the association for distributive justice. Similar results were obtained using only responses from correctional officers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Working in corrections is not only a demanding job, but a socially important one. While a growing number of studies have examined how the work environment impacts the job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment of staff, very few studies have examined how working in corrections impacts the life satisfaction of workers. The current study utilized OLS regression to examine the antecedents of life satisfaction among staff at a Midwestern private prison. Job satisfaction had a positive relationship with life satisfaction, while age, work on family conflict, family on work conflict, and job involvement all had statistically significant negative effects. Finally, perceptions of the level of financial rewards, job stress, organizational commitment, gender, race, educational level, tenure, supervisory status, position, marital status, and having children, all had non-significant associations with overall satisfaction with life. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There is a large body of literature that strongly suggests that role stress is harmful to correctional staff. Past research has found that role stress is linked to lower job satisfaction, lower organizational commitment, greater job stress, and intention to quit. The bulk of the literature has looked at the consequences of role stress; this study examined the potential antecedents of role stress for correctional staff. While controlling for the shared effects of the personal characteristics of gender, age, position, tenure, educational level, race, and supervisory status, this study examined whether different aspects of the work environment (i.e., input into decision making, supervision, formalization, integration, job performance, and instrumental communication) were linked to role stress using survey data of correctional staff at a Midwestern prison. Ordinary least squares multiple regression analysis indicated that the personal characteristics of position and tenure had statistically significant associations with role stress. Specifically, noncustody staff and staff with higher tenure reported greater role stress than custody staff and staff with less tenure. With regard to the work environment variables, input into decision making, supervision, formalization, integration, and instrumental communication all had a significant negative relationship with role stress, whereas job performance feedback did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correctional staff are instrumental in ensuring the success of any correctional institution; therefore, investigating how the work environment impacts correctional workers is essential. To determine the effects of supervisory consideration, supervisory structure, job variety, and perceptions of training on correctional staff job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment, data from a survey of staff at a Midwestern private correctional facility were examined. The Ordinary Least Squares regression results indicate that each of the work environment factors had a significant impact on one or more of the three outcomes. Specifically, supervisory consideration and perceptions of training decreased job stress. Supervisory consideration, job variety, and perceptions of training had positive effects on job satisfaction. Finally, supervisory consideration, supervisory structure, job variety, and perceptions of training had positive relationships with organizational commitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Correctional staff are the backbone of any correctional organization, and building organizational commitment among employees is critical for an effective organization. Although there is a small but growing body of literature on the antecedents and consequences of organizational commitment, there has been little discussion on the various types and levels of commitment and whether results differ depending on the form of commitment being measured. This study reviewed the three major types (i.e., affective, moral, and continuance) and two levels (i.e., agency and institutional) of organizational commitment. Multivariate analysis of survey results from 272 staff at a high-security prison in the Midwest revealed that the effects of the major forms of organizational structure (i.e., input into decision making, job autonomy, promotional opportunities, institutional communication, and organizational fairness) and job stress varied considerably depending on which form of organizational commitment was measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As staff performance is vital to the survival of correctional institutions, much empirical attention has been paid to studying the causes and consequences of their attitudes and behaviors. The current study adds to this body of knowledge by examining the factors that explain three central occupational attitudes—job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. More specifically, using survey data collected from a large county correctional system in Orlando, Florida, this research assesses the impact of key demographic, job, and organizational characteristics within and across jail staff attitudes toward job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. This article finds that the more powerful predictors of each of these attitudes are job and organizational characteristics. Among the dependent variables, job stress has an inverse relationship with job satisfaction, and job satisfaction had a powerful positive association with organizational commitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correctional staff are the heart and soul of any correctional facility. While there was a significant body of research on the impact of the work environment on correctional staff, this study sought to expand that knowledge by examining the effects of distributive and procedural justice on correctional staff job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Multivariate models were estimated. Both forms of organizational justice had negative effects on job stress and organizational commitment; however, only procedural justice, but not distributive justice, had a significant impact on job satisfaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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]

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]

Job stress and job satisfaction have both received a considerable amount of attention among studies of organizations in general, and correctional organizations are no exception. Although many work-related factors have been used to explain these two concepts, several important areas have been excluded. The current study builds on existing research by examining job stress and job satisfaction and bow they are affected by American Correctional Association (ACA) standards, relations with coworkers, and prison policies. Using survey data collected from a large county correctional system in Orlando, Florida, the findings suggest that ACA views, relations with coworkers, and institutional policies all have significant effects on job stress and satisfaction of correctional staff. The authors also find that these three work environment variables have a far greater magnitude of effects than do the personal characteristics of employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corrections can be a very stressful occupation, producing many negative outcomes for employees. These outcomes, both mental and physical, not only affect the employee, but the entire organization. A large body of literature has focused on identifying correlates of correctional staff job stress; yet, not all of the possible correlates have been studied. One area that has received little, if any, attention is the impact of the organizational structure on correctional job stress. Organizational structure includes issues of centralization, instrumental communication, integration, and organizational justice. The results of multivariate analysis indicate that instrumental communication and procedural justice have a direct effect on correctional staff job stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the impact of occupational stressors on correctional staff organizational commitment. Generally, job stress is defined as an employee's feelings of job-related hardness, tension, anxiety and frustration. Thus, it is seen as the outcomes of stressors. According to a study, which studied the causes of job stress concluded that it is still unclear that occupational stressors have an effect on the organizational commitment of correctional workers. Another study that examined the effect of role conflict and other job stressors reported that these stressors are often related negatively to correctional staff job satisfaction.

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]