Belonging to a racial minority, being a correctional officer

Authors

  • Ariadna Blanco Correa Universidad Pompeu Fabra

Abstract

This text forms part of a round table discussion with James B. Jacobs, author of the classic study on the sociology of prisons Stateville: The Penitentiary in Mass Society, and examines the validity of his work 40 years later. The aim of this commentary is to explore if belonging to an ethnic minority affects the job performance and punitive attitudes of these correctional staff toward inmates and if it is related to job stress. The discrimination experienced by minority correctional staff in Stateville and their incorporation into this penal institution are discussed. Then it is determined that this group shows more favorable attitudes towards the rehabilitation of the prisoners. The results regarding the relationship between ethnicity and job stress are inconclusive, with institutional factors found to be more important than individual ones.

Keywords

prison, correctional staff, racial/ethnic minority, professional role, punitive attitudes, job stress

References

Armstrong, Gaylene S. y Griffin, Marie L. (2004). «Does the job matter? Comparing correlates of stress among treatment and correctional staff in prisons». Journal of Criminal Justice, 32 (6), 577-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2004.08.007

Blau, Judith R.; Light, Stephen C. y Chamlin, Mitchell (1986). «Individual and contextual effects on stress and job satisfaction». Work and Occupations, 13 (1), 131-56. https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888486013001009

Cressey, Donald R. (1959). «Contradictory directives in complex organizations: The case of the prison». Administrative Science Quarterly, 4 (1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.2307/2390646

Crouch, Ben M. y Alpert, Geoffrey P. (1980). «Prison guards’ attitudes toward components of the criminal justice system». Criminology 18 (2), 227-36. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1980.tb01361.x

Cullen, Francis T.; Link, Bruce G.; Wolfe, Nancy T. y Frank, James (1985). «The social dimensions of correctional stress». Justice Quarterly, 2 (4), 505-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418828500088711

Jackson, Jerome E. y Ammen, Sue (1996). «Race and correctional officers’ punitive attitudes toward treatment programs for inmates». Journal of Criminal Justice, 24 (2), 153-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/0047-2352(95)00062-3

Jacobs, James B. (1977). Stateville. The penitentiary in mass society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Jacobs, James B. (2018). «Author meets critics: Stateville Revisited». III Conferencia Internacional del Máster en Criminología y Ejecución Penal. Barcelona, 11 de mayo.

Jacobs, James B. y Grear, Mary P. (1977). «Drop outs and rejects: An analysis of the prison guard’s revolving door». Criminal Justice Review, 2 (2), 57-70. https://doi.org/10.1177/073401687700200206

Jacobs, James B. y Kraft, Lawrence J. (1978). «Integrating the keepers: A comparison of Black and White prison guards in Illinois». Social Problems, 25 (3), 304-18. https://doi.org/10.2307/800067

Jurik, Nancy C. (1985). «Individual and organizational determinants of correctional officer attitudes towards inmates». Criminology, 23 (3), 523-39.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1985.tb00352.x

Jurik, Nancy C. y Winn, Russell (1987). «Describing correctional-security dropouts and rejects: An individual or organization profile?». Criminal Justice and Behavior, 14 (1), 5-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854887014001002

Lambert, Eric G.; Hogan, Nancy L. y Barton, Shannon M. (2002). «Satisfied correctional staff: A review of the literature on the correlates of correctional staff job satisfaction». Criminal Justice and Behavior, 29 (2), 115-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854802029002001

Lambert, Eric G.; Hogan, Nancy L. y Paoline III, Eugene A. (2016). «Differences in the predictors of job stress and job satisfaction for black and white jail staff». Corrections: Policy, practice and research, 1 (1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/23774657.2016.1105654

Schaufeli, Wilmar B. y Peeters, Maria C. W. (2000). «Job Stress and Burnout Among Correctional Officers: A Literature Review». International Journal of Stress Management, 7 (1), 19-48. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009514731657

Steiner, Benjamin y Wooldredge, John (2015). «Individual and environmental sources of work stress among prison officers». Criminal Justice and Behavior, 42 (8), 800-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854814564463

Toch, Hans y Klofas, John (1982). «Alienation and desire for job enrichment among correctional officers». Federal Probation, 46, 35-44.

Van Voorhis, Patricia; Cullen, Francis T.; Link, Bruce G. y Wolfe, Nancy T. (1991). «The impact of race and gender on correctional officers’ orientation to the integrated environment». Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 28 (4), 472-500. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427891028004007

Whitehead, John T. y Lindquist, Charles A. (1986). «Correctional officer job burnout: A path model». Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 23 (1), 23-42. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427886023001003

Author Biography

Ariadna Blanco Correa, Universidad Pompeu Fabra

Ariadna Blanco es graduada en Criminología y Políticas Públicas de Prevención por la Universidad Pompeu Fabra (2011-2015) y ha cursado el Máster en Criminología y Ejecución Penal impartido por la Universidad Pompeu Fabra, la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, la Universidad de Gerona y la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (2015-2016). Actualmente, forma parte del Grupo de Investigación en Criminología y Sistema Penal (UPF) y está desarrollando una tesis doctoral sobre la conflictividad en prisión según el modelo de gestión (PIPF 2017).

Published

2019-04-29

How to Cite

Blanco Correa, A. (2019). Belonging to a racial minority, being a correctional officer. Papers. Revista De Sociologia, 104(3), 561–567. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/papers.2643

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.