NCJ Number
213015
Journal
Criminal Justice Review Volume: 30 Issue: 2 Dated: September 2005 Pages: 189-206
Date Published
September 2005
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether correctional officers in a Southwest State had different perceptions of their organization's support for equitable work policies; and if so, whether the differences were significantly related to race and gender.
Abstract
White male officers were more likely than other officer groups to perceive that their organization promoted equal treatment policies for correctional officers. Minority women officers were least likely to perceive that their employer treated all officers in an equal and consistent manner regardless of race or gender. White female officers were more closely aligned with minority women than White men in their view of employer equal treatment policies and practices. There was no significant difference between the views of White females and minority males on this issue. For all groups, perceived organizational support for equal treatment policies had a positive effect on job satisfaction and organizational commitment, but a negative effect on job stress. The latter finding suggests that correctional officers' job characteristics have more of an effect on officer stress than perceptions of employer support for equal treatment. Analyses were based on the questionnaire responses of 2,637 correctional officers working in 10 adult State prisons in 1 State. Dependent variables were measured with scales of job satisfaction, job stress, and organizational commitment as indicators of officers' perceptions of the work environment. Independent variables pertained to organizational support for equitable workplace policies. Control variables were age, tenure on the job, and educational level. 3 tables, appended questionnaire, 6 notes, and 67 references