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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 3:50 am
Time: 3:50 am
Results for prison officers
2 results foundAuthor: Power, Jenelle Title: Working With Offenders Who Self-Injure: Fostering Staff Resilience In High Stress Situations Summary: Several evidence-based interventions were identified for correctional staff in the literature, including education and training related specifically to self-injurious behaviour (SIB), role clarification to address the conflict between the requirement to maintain institutional security and safety and promote offender rehabiliation, coping skills training to reduce workplace stress and improve wellness, and the implementation of peer support groups to encourage team-based problem solving and debriefing. Implementation of specific interventions should be accompanied by a framework to assess efficacy and outcomes. What we found Staff who work with offenders who engage in SIB are at increased risk of burnout, a psychological syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Role conflict and ambiguity, as well as a reduced sense of personal accomplishment, were noted as important correlates of burnout, particularly for younger or less experienced staff. Staff who regularly encounter SIB could be at risk for experiencing secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, or vicarious traumatization. These staff members often feel ill-equiped to deal with SIB and may lack specific training in the etiology and treatment of the behaviour. Protective factors identified in the literature include social support, coping skills, physical and mental health, and a perception of adequate skills to competently perform the job. Burnout prevention interventions typically take two forms: (1) individual-focused and (2) organization-focused. Most of the research conducted to date has focused on interventions aimed at supporting individual staff members, such as education and job training, coping skills training, peer support groups, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and critical incident debriefing. Few organization-focused interventions have been empirically validated. Why we did this study Correctional staff are frequently exposed to high stress situations, particularly when working with offenders who engage in SIB. Continued exposure to high stress environments may have negative physical and psycholocal effects and staff who work with offenders who engage in SIB are at increased risk of burnout. The purpose of this research was to identify evidence-based interventions or management practices that promote staff resilience and could be implemented to mitigate stressful working environments in correctional institutions. What we did A literature review was conducted to identify specific factors related to burnout in correctional staff and characteristics of staff resilience when working with offenders who self-injure. A review of the literature on evidence-based interventions that have been successfully implemented at the organizational and individual level was also undertaken. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2014. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report No. R-276: Accessed August 23, 2014 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/005/008/092/005008-0276-eng.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/005/008/092/005008-0276-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 133125 Keywords: Correctional StaffCorrections OfficersJob StressPrison GuardsPrison Officers Staff Burnout |
Author: McArthur, Gary Title: Prison 'as' punishment or prison 'for' punishment: examining the views of prison officers toward prison Summary: In recent years, prison numbers have grown despite falling levels of crime. Considering the increasing use of custodial sentences, which in many ways can be attributed to the rise of penal populism, research has largely ignored the views of those best placed to offer opinion on the role which imprisonment plays: those who deal with offenders and prison life on a daily basis. Prison officers are responsible for the implementation of penal policy and have the authority to undermine or enhance the goals of the establishment where they work, yet in answering the philosophical questions underlying imprisonment; their views have rarely been sought. This study utilised a mixed-method survey to examine the views of 398 prison officers working in Scottish Prison Service establishments. The purpose of this was to identify and explore the attitudes which prison officers hold in relation to imprisonment. Specifically, respondents were questioned on what should be the main purpose of prison, whether it should be a place where offenders are sent 'as' punishment or 'for' punishment, the effectiveness of prison, and who should influence its policies. Findings revealed prison officers viewed rehabilitation as the most important purpose of imprisonment, with retribution the least important. The majority of officers believed that offenders should be sent to prison 'as' punishment for their crime; though many felt that prison should constitute a place where offenders are sent both 'as' punishment and 'for' further punishment. Prison officers were largely undecided over the effectiveness of prison; however felt that their role was critical in reducing reoffending. Furthermore, respondents felt their views were often undervalued and believed prison officers should have more authority in the determining of penal policy, whereas political and public influence should be limited. Analysis reveals the views of prison officers to be largely supportive of the organisation they represent. Findings also provide the basis for a possible divergence of thought between the punitive message politicians promote, and what the Scottish Prison Service aims to achieve. Details: Portsmouth, UK: University of Portsmouth, Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, 2014. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed October 15, 2015 at: http://www.sps.gov.uk/ Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sps.gov.uk/ Shelf Number: 136991 Keywords: Correctional AdministrationCorrections OfficersPrison OfficersPrisons (Scotland) |