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.

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is one of the largest investigations ever conducted to assess associations between childhood maltreatment and later-life health and well-being. The ACE Study findings suggest that certain experiences are major risk factors for the leading causes of illness and death as well as poor quality of life in the United States. It is critical to understand how some of the worst health and social problems in our nation can arise as a consequence of adverse childhood experiences.

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.

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."

This two page handout provides statistics on corrections officer wellness and suggestions on what policymakers can do to address it.

A publication of Desert Waters Correctional Outreach.

Defines compassion fatigue, who it affects, sign & symptoms, contributing factors, what can be done, and how to develop a compassion fatigue prevention toolkit.

Newsweek, May 2014.

Report on "the mental health of corrections officers, who, according to one study, have rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) comparable to military combat veterans."

The VTT includes tools and resources tailored specifically to these fields that provide the knowledge and skills necessary for organizations to address the vicarious trauma needs of their staff.

Dr. Vincent Felitti, a noted physician and researcher on the negative impacts of adverse childhood experiences on adults.