Prison Officers Research Articles

Peer mentoring and identity transformation in a women’s prison

Purpose This study examined the impact of peer mentoring on identity transformation amongst women in prison, exploring how peer mentoring roles develop non-offender identities, contributing to the desistance process. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative, interpretative approach was adopted. The research was undertaken at a female prison in England and Wales. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with peer mentors, mentees, project workers and prison officers, alongside focus groups. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the findings. Findings Being a peer mentor contributes positively to identity transformation for women in prison, fostering a legitimate, non-offender identity critical to the desistance process. Mentors view their role as a desistance signal through their interactions with prison staff. However, it can lead to role conflict and tension with other women in prison and prison staff. Research limitations/implications Future studies should consider longitudinal approaches to capture the long-term effects of peer mentoring upon desistance. Practical implications Recommendations include leveraging peer mentoring as a rehabilitative intervention, providing ongoing support for mentors and educating prison staff on programme benefits to foster a supportive environment. Social implications Enhancing peer mentoring programmes can improve the well-being of women in prison and support their reintegration into society. Originality/value This study examined identity transformation in female peer mentors in prison through the lens of social identity and group membership. To the author’s knowledge, no previous studies have focused centrally on identity or applied social identity theory to explore the psychological mechanisms behind these transformations.

Massive Education in Prison Health in Brazil: A Look Beyond the Walls

Equal access to health initiatives and services under the principles of universal and comprehensive care remains a challenge in Brazil. The realization of public health policies is further intricate when one examines the health situation of people deprived of liberty. This study showcases the “Prison System: Beyond the Walls” educational pathway, available on the Virtual Learning Environment of the Brazilian National Health System (AVASUS). The action research methodological strategy guided the pathway development, emphasizing dialogic learning. The goal was to address the need for massive training on the topic of prison health, with the model focusing on engagement through spontaneous, non-mandatory participation in the pathway courses. The pathway comprised four modules, whose educational offerings were based on the self-learning model. Students were free to choose which courses to take and in what order, as there was no prerequisite for participating in modules. Hence, students could either take all the courses or only those with which they identify their learning needs, regardless of work demands or personal interests. Structuring the pathway through action research facilitated a massive, cohesive, and continuous training process. This approach expanded knowledge and established meaningful relationships among the related topics and the key players involved: health professionals, prison officers, and people deprived of liberty. Notably, the pathway courses have surpassed the 50,000-enrollment mark, spanning all five regions of Brazil. In this context, this article presents and discusses the development of the “Prison System: Beyond the Walls” pathway, emphasizing the massive improvement of health within Brazil’s prison system and highlighting the results achieved.

Of boredom and havoc: Correctional officers and meaning making

Despite early calls to pay attention to the role of emotions in crime and criminal justice, including in prison studies, empirical research focusing on emotions in the administration of criminal justice has been sporadic. With notable exceptions, little attention has been paid to the role of boredom, meaning, and the labour processes of criminal justice personnel more broadly, and correctional officers specifically. We fill the lacuna in knowledge by examining the relationship between boredom, temporality, the labour process of correctional officers, meaning making, and officer wellness. We first offer an overview of boredom as an emotion and its contribution to meaning making. We then outline the labour process of correctional officers, reviewing literature on the structure of their carceral work environments and their experiences of boredom. We draw on 651 interviews with correctional officer recruits (n = 375) and follow-up interviews with correctional officers (n = 276) within federal prisons across Canada to understand the emotional experiences of correctional work, specifically focusing on boredom as a dominant emotion and its effect on officer wellness. Our study uses a phenomenological approach to consider how boredom plays a role in the daily lives of those providing security within prison spaces, how prison officers make sense of their work in relation to temporality and boredom, and how boredom and havoc contributes to poor officer wellness.

Prisoners in the emergency department: Lessons from a recent inquest.

The recent coronial finding in Victoria into the death of Joshua (Josh) Kerr highlights some of the challenges of treating patients who are in custody and under the supervision of custodial staff (prison officers or police) in the ED. Issues include ED clinicians' duty of care, roles and responsibilities of ED staff and custodial staff and the need for processes that facilitate collaboration and communication between ED clinicians and custodial staff.

‘Prison officer pains’: How and why coloniality shapes the job of a prison officer in Guyana today

AbstractIn this exploratory article, we look at the understudied area of prison officer's lives in the Global South and the pains of their jobs. We provide a novel and decolonial perspective on these phenomena by documenting and discussing first‐hand prison officer accounts and first‐person observations of the different dimensions of their experiences of work and home today. We understand how they see and understand their jobs, including what the pains of imprisonment for officers in Guyana look and feel like from the bottom up. We learn about what prison officers perceive as the pains of their employment in Guyana – working conditions; psychological pains; prison infrastructure; intimate relations; prison within prison; social pains; and insecurity – and how such issues include echoes of the colonial past and impact officers not just in their everyday lives but how these pains also impact those closest to them. In this way, we show how, and why, the legacies of colonialism continue to haunt contemporary prison officers in Guyana.

Testing the Effects of Workplace Variables on the Job Burnout Among Prison Officers in India: An Application of the Job Demands–Resources Model

The current study used the job demands–resources model and survey data from prison officers in India in order to examine how workplace variables are associated with three job burnout dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced sense of work accomplishment. Job demands make the job more difficult and are generally linked to negative outcomes, while job resources make the job less difficult and are generally linked to positive outcomes. The job demands for the current study were role overload, routinization, and fear of being victimized at work, and the job resources were training views, instrumental communication, and job autonomy. Based on ordinary least squares regression results of surveys from 168 officers from a prison in the Haryana State of India, this study found that role overload was associated with higher levels of all three burnout dimensions, while routinization was only associated with higher levels of emotional exhaustion. Curiously, fear of victimization was associated with lower levels of depersonalization and reduced sense of work accomplishment. Instrumental communication was associated with lower levels of all three burnout dimensions, while training views and job autonomy had no significant effects on any burnout dimension.

The life of a prison officer

Key digested messageWe see young people becoming involved in crimes which in many cases results in a cycle of release from prison and recidivism. In many cases the environment plays a role and upon release those individuals go back to a criminal life. Other times, there is an escalation in the crime type due to the lack of support within the system. Either way, if a solution is not found and if the system remains the same, the criminal cycle will be sustained. Preventative measures are required and further support for people in prisons but also for prison officers, who are often also suffering the consequences of working in prison.

TINJAUAN YURIDIS KASUS KEBAKARAN LAPAS KELAS 1 TANGERANG DITINJAU DARI PERSPEKTIF HAK ASASI MANUSIA MENURUT UU NO. 39 TAHUN 1999 TENTANG HAS ASASI MANUSIA

The safety guarantee of the right to life for prisoners in correctional institutions (“lapas”) is often neglected, even though it is the responsibility of the state. One of the cases that occurred was the alleged negligence of government officials in the management of facilities and infrastructure in prison, such as the fire that occurred in Correctional Institutions Class 1 Tangerang on September 8, 2021. The problems of this article are: whether there is a violation of human rights in the case of fire in Correctional Institutions Class 1 Tangerang? This article is a normative legal research, descriptive in nature, using secondary data, and deductive inference. The Result and conclusion obtained is that there was a violation of human rights due to the negligence of several prison officers which then caused a fire and resulted in casualties. Related to the case, four prison officers were charged under Articles 359 and 188 of the Criminal Code with a prison sentence of up to five years. Improvement and revitalization of prisons are also needed so that the safety of prisoners in prison can be better guaranteed.

Research Note: The Association of Procedural and Distributive Justice With Emotional Exhaustion Burnout Among Prison Officers in Nigeria

Prison officers have a demanding job and are at risk of burnout. The literature indicates that workplace variables are related to burnout, but there are gaps in the literature that need to be addressed, including the need for additional research on the association of organizational justice with officer burnout. Organizational justice theory holds that employees expect to be treated fairly by their organizations and that psychological strain occurs if they are not, and this strain increases the chances of job burnout. The current study examined how distributive and procedural justice views, which are dimensions of organizational justice, were related to the emotional exhaustion burnout of Nigerian prison officers. Data were collected from 120 officers stationed at medium-security prison in southeast Nigeria. Both procedural justice and distributive justice were significantly associated with lower emotional exhaustion burnout. The current findings support the postulation that workplace fairness is associated with lower levels of job burnout.

The Attitudes of Muslims Towards Muslim Women In Prisons

The Prisons across the world are meant to serve the interest of the human society. This is to help the society punish its non-law abiding citizens. In the early societies the believed in revenge, torture, the removal of offenders from the midst of ‘good people’ and even execution were common. As civilization occurs, the idea of punishment, torture and even execution have been substituted with reform and transformation. This change was important by the rights of prisoners instituted by the United Nations. Base on the above information, the conditions of many prisons in Ghana as well as the prisoners are nothing to write home about. Prisoners’ rights and freedoms are always infringed upon of which Muslim Women Prisoners are most often the victims. This article sought to find out the attitudes of Muslims towards Muslim Women in the Prisons. It was among the main objectives of the work to find out, the attitudes of Muslims towards Muslim women in the Prisons, whether the Muslim women were accorded the right respect in society, especially after serving their prison terms, right to practice their religion, whether there was any religious education available to the Muslim women in the prisons, and find the general conditions in the Prisons. The work used qualitative methods. Questionnaires were administered to the Muslim women prisoners, Muslims, Islamic Scholars and Prison officers, in order to gather the data. The data was afterward analyzed. After the research, it was realized that Muslim women in the prisons had the chance to practice their religious duties. They also had religious education as well as visiting scholars. The conditions of the prisons were very bad and the inmates had insufficient food, water and medical care.

Pelatihan Five Finger Therapy dalam Meningkatkan Kualitas Tidur Warga Binaan Pemasyarakatan

Introduction: Inmates (hereinafter referred to as WBP) often experience mental health disorders including depression, severe stress, and anxiety. This affects the quality of sleep which will trigger other health problems such as heart failure, coronary heart disease, and heart attacks. Objective: to socialize and train five-finger therapy or hereinafter referred to as Five Finger Therapy in improving sleep quality in Inmates (WBP). Method: th method of this activity uses lectures in socialization and training simulations. The number of participants is 40 people. The activity starts from the preparation, implementation, and evaluation stages. Data was collected through surveys, interviews, and observations before and after the implementation of therapy. Result: the results of the activity showed that out of 40 respondents to WBP in the Class 2B Banjar City male prison, it was found that before Five Finger Therapy was carried out, 30 WBP experienced poor sleep quality (75.0%) and 10 people or 25% had good sleep quality. After Five Finger Therapy was carried out, the category of good sleep quality increased to 32 people (80.0%) and poor quality decreased to 18 people (20.0%). Conclusion: this indicates that Five Finger Therapy has successfully improved the quality of WBP sleep, so that the training is effective in improving the quality of sleep of male WBP in prison. This therapy makes a positive contribution to the mental health of WBP. Recommendations for the continued implementation of five finger therapy and the importance of support from friends and prison officers in facilitating the action

The experience of stress, coping and support for prison officer negotiators in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service

Purpose Negotiation is an established strategy used by the police and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to manage serious incidents. Whilst the literature acknowledges the role of the negotiator to be stressful, little is known about the experience of stress and the coping strategies used by negotiators when undertaking this role. This is particuarly true for negotiators who work in prisons. As such, the purpose of this study was to explore the experience of negotiators working in a prison setting. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a qualitative methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 prison officer negotiators based in public sector prisons in the North West of England. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Four overarching themes were identified relating to stressors; the experience of stress; use of coping strategies; and use of support. An underlying theme was identified relating to negotiating within the structure of a prison regime. Practical implications People involved in the management of serious incidents should be familiar with the negotiator role. Debriefing negotiators after a lone deployment and offering support to negotiators in the days following an incident is critical for staff well-being. Further, record keeping from the perspective of the negotiator should become formalised. Originality/value This paper contributes new insights into the management of serious incidents and the negotiator experience in prisons in England and Wales.

An exploration of nursing students' lived experience of clinical placement in adult male prisons: A phenomenological study.

To explore nursing students' lived experience of a clinical placement within healthcare in a prison, to gain an insight into the support provided prior to and during this unique clinical placement. An inductive phenomenological study. Participants included 14 nursing students from three undergraduate nursing programmes in England, Adult (n = 4), Learning Disability (n = 3) and Mental Health (n = 7). Following a clinical placement in a prison, each participant completed a semistructured audio-recorded interview on MS Teams between October and December 2021. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was completed. Two overarching themes were identified, 'shock' due to the (a) reality of prison; (b) overwhelming emotional impact and (c) frequency and severity of self-harm and 'surprise' due to (a) the need to work with prison officers; (b) recognizing and addressing preconceptions of people in prison and (c) the development of clinical knowledge, skills and becoming a nurse. The need remains for a comprehensive strategy of preparation and orientation for nursing students before commencing a clinical placement in prison, which includes the development of knowledge and clinical skills to support the complex health and social care needs of people in prison. Our research identified the support provided to nursing students prior to clinical placement in prison varies considerably. The development of a preparation and orientation programme has the potential to reduce pre-placement anxiety, emotional burden and support nursing students in addressing their preconceptions of people in prison. This approach is essential to support future nursing students to embrace the unique opportunity of a clinical placement within a prison, enhance their clinical knowledge and skills, and develop as a nurse. Our paper adheres to the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ). None.

Using the Job Demands-Resources Model to Examine Possible Correlates of Fear of Being Victimized at Work Among Chinese Prison Officers

This study surveyed 322 officers at two prisons in China to investigate the influence of job demands (i.e., role overload and routinization), job resources (i.e., training, job autonomy, instrumental communication, and supervision), and demographic characteristics on workplace fear of victimization. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis indicated role overload was related to higher levels of fear, while training and job autonomy were related to lower levels. Routinization, instrumental communication, and supervision had nonsignificant effects. Male officers were more likely to report higher fear of victimization, as did staff at one of the two prisons.

Sensing that Something is Wrong: On the Role of Senses in Sensemaking in Frontline Safety Work

Abstract Based on an ethnography of work in a high-security prison, this article explores how safety practitioners develop specialised sensing skills through close engagement with their socio-material work environment and how they use these skills in constructing their understandings of what is going on in everyday work. The results make visible the potential role of the senses in how workers keep systems running, how they maintain safety in situations where quick reactions are needed and for the fast transition to more deliberate forms of sensemaking for early intervention. However, despite the importance prison officers ascribed to the use of the senses for their ability to work proactively, certain technologies seemed to reduce access to sensory inputs and thereby the ability to notice weak signals. This indicate challenges regarding embodied and tacit safety knowledge when more visible representations of safety are implemented. The article aims to contribute to a theoretical framework for understanding the role of senses in safety work through the concept of sensemaking as an embodied, socio-material process.

The Occupational Stress Level of Employees in the Penitentiary Class II A, Magelang

The life of an employee entails demands and work conditions that are part of an individual's existence alongside occupational or work-related stress. Work-related stress arises from an individual's response to high workloads and job demands. This study aims to delve deeper into work-related stress among Penitentiary Class II A employees in Magelang City. The research employs a descriptive qualitative approach with three participants as informants using snowball sampling. The criteria for this research include prison officers of Penitentiary Class II A in Magelang, aged between 18 to 65 years old, and experienced in working at the institution. The findings of this study indicate that all three informants experience work-related stress in their work environments. Work stress varies and is driven by factors such as cognitive appraisal, experience, demands, interpersonal influence, and the stress condition viewed from individual experiences (work conditions, personality, emotions, gratitude, and hobbies).

Overcrowding and Stress Levels among Female Prisoners: A Cross-Sectional Study

Overcrowding is when the number of people in a space exceeds its specified capacity. This phenomenon often occurs in prisons and has been recognized as a significant contributor to psychological problems, especially stress among prisoners. This study addresses this gap by narrowing our focus to female prisoners, who exhibit greater physical and psychological vulnerabilities than male prisoners. This study investigates the relationship between overcrowding and stress levels in prisoners. This study used a correlational design with a sample of 82 female prisoners selected using a simple random sampling technique. The Overcrowding Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale-10 were the standardized instruments used in this study. Data were analyzed using Rank Spearman. The analysis revealed a positive relationship between overcrowding and stress levels with p = 0.000 and r = 0.415. Therefore, nurses can provide education to minimize the prisoners’ stress levels, and prison officers can improve prisoner fulfillment of psycho-socio-spiritual needs. Future comparative studies can be conducted across various prison facilities to identify variations in stress levels, assess the effectiveness of interventions, and explore sociocultural influences on the well-being of prisoners.

Sue the Police: The Role of Civil Liability in Addressing Indigenous Harms in Custody

The persistent crisis of Indigenous deaths and harms in custody can be understood as a crisis of accountability – the predictable result of ongoing systemic failures to hold police and prison officials responsible for the harms suffered by Indigenous people in their care. This article considers the role of civil liability as a mechanism of such accountability, drawing on a range of case examples involving both individual and class actions. It outlines potential avenues for suing police for harms suffered in custody, as well as the legal, financial, and logistical hurdles faced by would-be plaintiffs. It also analyses how vicarious liability can either undermine or support the accountability impacts of liability. Reflecting on lessons from other jurisdictions, it argues that while civil actions may bring reparations for individuals and their families, targeted reforms are necessary for civil liability to function as a mechanism of accountability and thereby drive meaningful, systemic change.

Prison Officers’ Perceptions of Delivering Trauma-Informed Care in Women’s Prisons

ABSTRACT Since 2015, women’s prisons across England have been working toward providing trauma-informed care (TIC) given the high rates of psychological trauma in the prison population. Research into TIC in prisons has been limited to date. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of 35 prison officers from two English women’s prisons about their experiences of providing TIC, including the role of training. Four main themes were identified using thematic analysis: Creating trauma-informed settings was noted as a dynamic process, complicated by prisons being triggering environments for women. Prison officers described attempting to negotiate the power (im)balance between them and women in prison, to allow them to nurture positive relationships with them. Operational practices reportedly regularly undermined these efforts by reinforcing the power differential. Staff also observed variable and limited capacity and opportunities for TIC, further reducing the ability to create settings conducive to TIC. These findings have important implications for women’s prisons, including the need to review and revise TIC training for new and existing staff; prioritize staff well-being and support, and improve recruitment processes to develop a staff group with the aptitude and skill to deliver TIC.

Why People in Prison Disobey the Rules: The Influence of Legitimacy on Misconduct in South Korean Prisons

ABSTRACT Research has demonstrated that individuals with higher levels of perceived legitimacy toward police or legal institutions are less likely to engage in antisocial behavior. However, a limited number of empirical studies have directly examined the relationship between the perceived legitimacy of prison officers and misconduct in prisons. The goal of this study is to examine the role of legitimacy in misconduct among people incarcerated in South Korean prisons. Using a nationwide sample of adults in correctional facilities in South Korea, logistic regression models are used to examine whether the perceived legitimacy of prison officers is associated with verbal and physical aggression against officers and other incarcerated persons. The equality of regression coefficients test is employed to examine whether the independent variable has varying impacts on each measure of interpersonal aggression. The study found that perceived legitimacy was negatively related and varied with the target of misconduct, with a larger influence on interpersonal aggression toward prison officers than those toward other incarcerated individuals. The findings are consistent with the normative perspective and suggest the need for policies encouraging just and fair management of prison populations by prison officers to sustain order in prisons. Policy implications are discussed.