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Corrections Stress - 2. Sources of Corrections Stress

  • cover of the mental health of Community Correctional Officers: supervising persons with serious mental illness

    The Mental Health of Community Correctional Officers: Supervising Persons with Serious Mental Illness

    Few studies have investigated factors that contribute to the mental health of probation and parole officers (PPOs). Addressing the needs of supervises with serious mental illness (SMI) can create unique challenges for PPOs, which in turn may increase job-related stress and impact PPOs’ mental health. Using statewide survey data from 795 PPOs, we examine whether the number of supervises with SMI on an officer’s caseload is associated with depressive symptoms reported by PPOs and whether this relationship is mediated by...

  • Perceived Dangerousness of the Job and WellBeing Among Correctional Officers: The Role of Perceived Stress and Family Supportive Supervisor Behaviors (FSSB) (2013)

    This Oregon DOC study " examined the mediating process of perceived stress on the relationship between perceived dangerousness of the job and the negative employee well-being outcomes of work-family conflict and symptoms of psychological distress, as well as the moderating effects of family supportive supervisor behaviors on this process. As part of a larger study, survey data were collected from 1,370 state correctional officers."

  • Association Between Distributive and Procedural Justice and Life Satisfaction Among Correctional Staff: Research Note (2011)

    Distributive justice and procedural justice, two dimensions of organizational justice, have been found to be important workplace variables in shaping correctional staff job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. It is unclear, however, whether distributive justice and procedural justice are associated with correctional staff life satisfaction. Multivariate analysis of survey data from correctional staff at a state prison found that staff perceptions of both distributive justice and procedural justice had significant positive relationships with a measure of life satisfaction.

  • The Unique Sexual Harassment Problem Female Prison Workers Face (2017)

    When women report abuse from the men in their custody.

    The sexual harassment began in 1994, Paula Purdy says, shortly after she started work as a corrections officer at the Denver County Jail. Colleagues made demeaning comments about her body. One male captain made her so uncomfortable she avoided him. But the worst abuse came from inmates, who would make sexual remarks and masturbate at her as she did rounds in their housing areas. Purdy says she reported the behavior to her bosses, but there were few consequences. “I would get emotional at work several times a day,” she said...

  • New Study: PTSD Symptoms At War-zone Level Among Correctional Staff (2018)

    This article summarizes the findings of a recent study, "Prison Employment and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Risk and Protective Factors". The study concludes that "Correctional employees experience some of the highest rates of mental illness, sleep disorders and physical health issues of all U.S. workers."