Doing God's Work Behind Bars: Chaplains' Reactions to Employment in Prison

• NCJ Number: 221719
• Journal: Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 45 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 2007 Pages: 131-157
• Author(s): Jody L. Sundt; Francis T. Cullen
• Date Published: 2007
• Length: 27 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study explored the experiences of a national sample of prison chaplains' employment in correctional institutions.

Abstract

Despite persistent cultural and legal doubts about the appropriate role of religion in American prisons and shifting occupational expectations, prison chaplains are remarkably happy employees who appear to cope well with the demands of their work. Virtually all of the chaplains in the study were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their jobs. A general comparison of these results to those found in other studies of correctional employees suggests that prison chaplains feel more positively about their work than their colleagues. Although chaplains provide direct services to inmates and corrections officers, often in highly emotional situations, they report low to moderate levels of work stress, and there was no evidence suggesting that prison chaplains felt strained by their work. Like other prison employees, chaplains’ work experiences were shaped by job characteristics. In particular, role conflict was the strongest predictor of both job satisfaction and work stress, and role problems had a deleterious effect on correctional employees regardless of job title. Job dangerousness was also found to affect prison chaplains’ levels of work stress. Fear of work-place victimization is an important occupational stressor among prison employees, especially for chaplains who spend time with inmates in their living and other common areas where the risk of victimization may be higher. Features of work that are unique to a particular occupation also influence work outcomes; what chaplains do at work affects how they feel about their job; time spent on administrative tasks and coordinating religious programs rather than “doing God’s work” was associated with greater levels of work stress. The analysis was based on a sample of 232 prisons chaplains, data were collected through the mailing of a self-administered questionnaire. Tables, notes, references, appendix