Work Relations and Cynicism Among Prison Guards

Abstract

While researchers have recently focused their attention on cynicism as a role characteristic of prison guards, they have tended to view cynicism as a consequence of the organization of prison work and have not examined the attitude as the outcome of interaction with others in the institution. The present research explores the feasibility of this line of explanation. Data for the project were derived from questionnaire responses of 144 guards working in a large-state, maximum-security institution in the midwest. In addition to the questionnaire data, formal interviews were also conducted with a stratified sample of the institution's guards. While numerous findings emerged from the study, the most general showed that as a prison guard's work relations with inmates, fellow officers, and administrators deteriorate, his level of cynicism increases. From this, we conclude the article with a discussion of the theoretical significance and practical importance of all findings presented.