NCJ Number
137255
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1991) Pages: 505-524
Date Published
1991
Length
20 pages
Annotation
A 1988 survey of correctional personnel in Federal prisons sought to determine the work experience for women working in men's prisons and to compare it with the experiences of male correctional personnel.
Abstract
The Prison Social Climate Survey was mailed to 8,099 individuals, who represented approximately half of the employees of 46 facilities. Stratified proportional probability sampling was used. Usable responses came from 3,325 or 41 percent. Data were analyzed using ordinary least squares regression to determine whether sex is related to the different measures of work environment. Results revealed that women and men were similar in job satisfaction, attitudes toward the quality of supervision, and sense of personal efficacy in working with inmates. However, women reported greater job-related stress and felt relatively less safe. The actual magnitude of stress differences is small, however, and although women report that prisons are less safe for women, they perceive prisons to be less dangerous than do male correctional personnel. Tables, footnotes, and 21 references (Author abstract modified)