NCJ Number
139253
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 20 Issue: 5 Dated: (1992) Pages: 479-486
Date Published
1992
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the literature on stress as it relates to working in adult correctional institutions.
Abstract
Indications are that research on this topic has been conducted in a "hit and miss" fashion, with no consistent themes or patterns. Nonetheless, several researchers have documented stress among correctional personnel and have attempted to isolate causes of and possible solutions to stress. Consideration has been paid to physical and psychological manifestations of stress, staff burnout, relation between stress and job challenges, effect of personal problems on job performance, and attitudinal and behavioral symptoms of stress. Research on minimum and maximum security prisons suggests that the nature of the correctional environment affects staff burnout. In addition, studies have identified correlates of stress that can be categorized as personal, occupational, and organization. Gender is also of particular interest, since more women are being employed as correctional officers in men's prisons. Characteristics of the corrections occupation that seem to be correlated with stress include dangerousness, worker lack of control, powerlessness, nature of interaction with inmates, and workload. Strategies for eliminating or reducing stress are generally grouped into three categories: training, individual coping, and administrative change. Future research should be organized around the following questions: extent to which stress exists in corrections and how it is manifested, systemic and organizational location of stress, factors or conditions that seem to be correlated with the presence of stress, and means available to eliminate or reduce stress. 23 references