NCJ Number
146426
Journal
American Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: (1992) Pages: 75-94
Date Published
1992
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examines whether correctional officers as "street-level bureaucrats" have difficulty in identifying the needs of their clients (inmates) and thus providing services to them.
Abstract
Correctional officers and inmates in eight jails in Washington State participated in the research in 1984. The jails selected represented small, medium, and large traditional jails in the State. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to all the correctional officers and male inmates in the selected jails. Of the 224 officers given questionnaires, 156 returned complete and usable questionnaires. A total of 292 of the 437 inmates returned complete and usable questionnaires. The questionnaire administered to both officers and inmates was a modified version of Toch's forced choice Prison Preference Inventory. This inventory measures eight dimensions of the correctional environment: freedom, safety, structure activity, emotional feedback, social stimulation, support, and privacy. Findings show two patterns. First, correctional officers were oblivious to the needs of the inmates they supervised. Inmates focused on such needs as safety, activity, support, and privacy; correctional officers perceived inmates to be more concerned about "structure." The second pattern found concerns the influence of jail size on inmate needs and staff perceptions of these needs. Facility size had little influence on inmate needs and staff perceptions or the staff's ability to identify inmate needs. 5 tables, 14 footnotes, and 39 references