NCJ Number
172592
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 76 Issue: 4 Dated: December 1996 Pages: 385-397
Date Published
1996
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study examines the nature and distribution of job satisfaction in a national sample of 641 wardens of State prisons for adults.
Abstract
Data were obtained from the 1995 National Corrections Executive Survey, a nationwide survey of wardens of State- operated correctional facilities for adults. Wardens were identified through the American Correctional Association Directory. Five questions pertained to wardens' job satisfaction. They were asked about their degree of job satisfaction, whether they would stay in their jobs if they had a choice or make the same job choice again, whether expectations for their job had been met, and whether they would recommend to a friend to pursue the career of warden. The five questions were combined into a Job Satisfaction Scale. Five sets of individual and organizational attributes were examined in relation to wardens' job satisfaction. These explanatory sets included demographic characteristics of respondents, career characteristics, and characteristics of the work setting. The findings show that wardens are a highly satisfied occupational group, but there is evidence that their job satisfaction has declined since the late 1980s. Measures of social support in the workplace, including effective communication with staff and support and confidence in subordinates, are important determinants of wardens' job satisfaction. The implications of these findings in the context of corrections' increasing politicization and punitiveness are discussed. 3 tables, 3 notes, and 11 references