1. Career Satisfaction of
Correctional Officers in the
Course of it's Entirety
Justin Huanca
Ian W. Law
New Jersey City University

2. Introduction
Corrections career is not glamorous nor appealing.
Not the first career choice for officers.
Corrections officers are often overlooked. All the focus is upon the inmates.
Job satisfaction will determine whether an individual will continue to work there.
New Jersey Police Suicide Task Force Report. (January 30, 2009)

3. Prior Research
Stress
Emotional burnout
Work-family conflict
High workloads
Stressful and dangerous work environment
Organizational structure
(Owen, 2006; Schaufeli and Peeters, 2000; Lambert, Barton-Bellessa, & Hogan, 2015; Hogan, N. L., Lambert, E. G., Jenkins, M., & Wambold, S.
2006; Melamed, S., Armon, G., Shirom, A., & Shapira, I., 2011)
Work-Family Balance
Officer changed by the job
Low levels of support
Strains from different spheres of life. Time-based conflicts
Serving in armed forces decreases depersonalized frame of mind, loss of self.
(Obidoa, C., Reeves, D., Warren, N., Reisine, S., & Cherniack, M., 2011; Janzen, B. L., Muhajarine, N., & Kelly, I. W., 2007; Crawley, E., 2002;
New Jersey Police Suicide Task Force Report, 2009)

4. Prior Research
Male vs. Female
Females demonstrate higher levels of education, more full time positions, and job
satisfaction than males.
Females have higher level stress. Mainly stems from coworkers. Working in male
dominated industry.
Both male and females are affected by same psychological distress factors.
(Bourbonnais, R., Jauvin, N., Dussault, J., Vezina, M., 2007; Wells, T., Colbert, S., & Slate, R. N., 2006; Tewksbury, R., & Collins, S. C., 2006)

5. Prior Research
Job Satisfaction
Us vs. Them Mentality. Line officers vs. Supervisors and Administrators
Policy making
No national regulatory body for correctional field
Officer vs. inmate ratio

6. Theoretical Framework
Organizational Culture
Positive Psychology
Subjective well-being
Optimism
Happiness
Self-Determination
(Bagraim, J. J., 2001; Froman, L., 2010; Seligman, M. E. P., Csikszentmihalyi, M., 2000)

7. Methodology
Sample:
2 corrections officers. One is a veteran and the other is rookie.
Obtained through snowball/convenience sampling.
Participants were given informed consent and consent letter to sign.
Face-to-face interviews lasting 1-2 hours.

8. Results
Red:
Veteran correction officers. Inmate population vs. officers is smaller. Higher pay and
position. New class of officers enter once a year. Officer cohesion.
High job satisfaction.
Blue:
2 year rookie officer. High inmate population vs. officer. Low pay and hardly any
promotion. New class of officers enter every 4 months.
Low job satisfaction.

9. Conclusions
Administrators can change the working environment to decrease stress for officers:
better structured work schedules, hours.
Increase budgets. This will increase pay and services offered to officers.
Money does speak.
Past the $60,000 mark and possibility of promotion.
Consult positive psychologists to aid in the improvement of the environment.

10. References
Bourbonnais, R., Jauvin, N., Dussault, J., Vezina, M. (2007). Psychosocial work environment, interpersonal violence at work and mental health
among correctional officers. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 30(4-5):355-68 · July 2007. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2007.06.008 · Source:
PubMed
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Stress & Health: Journal Of The International Society For The Investigation Of Stress, 31(2), 138-149. doi:10.1002/smi.2537
Crawley, E. (2002). Bringing it All back Home? The Impact of Prison Officers’ Work on Their Families. Probation Journal, vol. 49, no. 4, doi:
10.1177/026455050204900403
Gillan, T. (2001). The Correctional Officer: ONE OF Law Enforcement's TOUGHEST Positions. Corrections Today, 63(6), 112.
Hogan, N. L., Lambert, E. G., Jenkins, M., & Wambold, S. (2006). The Impact of Occupational Stressors on Correctional Staff Organizational
Commitment: A Preliminary Study. Journal Of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 22(1), 44-62. doi:10.1177/1043986205285084
Janzen, B. L., Muhajarine, N., & Kelly, I. W. (2007). WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN MEN AND
WOMEN AMONG CANADIAN POLICE OFFICERS. Psychological Reports, 100(2), 556-562. doi:10.2466/PR0.100.2.556-562
Lambert, E. G. (2008). The effect of job involvement on correctional staff. Professional Issues in Criminal Justice, 3(1), 57-76.
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(2) doi: 10.1177/2158244015590444

11. References
Lambert, E. G., Hogan, N. L., Barton, S. M. (2002). Satisfied Correctional Staff: A Review of the Literature on the Correlates of Correctional Staff
Job Satisfaction. Criminal Justice and Behavior 29, no. 2 (2002): 115-143.
Leip, L. A., Stinchcomb, J. B. (2013). Should I Stay or Should I go? Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intent of Jail Staff Throughout the United States.
Criminal Justice Review, 39 (2): 226-241 DOI: 10.1177/0734016813478822
Melamed, S., Armon, G., Shirom, A., & Shapira, I. (2011). Exploring the reciprocal causal relationship between job strain and burnout: A
longitudinal study of apparently healthy employed persons. Stress & Health: Journal Of The International Society For The Investigation Of Stress,
27(4),
New Jersey Police Suicide Task Force Report. (January 30, 2009)
Obidoa, C., Reeves, D., Warren, N., Reisine, S., & Cherniack, M. (2011). Depression and Work Family Conflict Among Corrections Officers.
Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 53(11), 1294-1301. doi:10.1097/JOM.0b013e3182307888
Owen, S. S. (2006). Occupational Stress Among Correctional Supervisors. Prison Journal, 86(2), 164-181.
Paoline III, E. A., Lambert, E. G., & Hogan, N. L. (2006). A Calm and Happy Keeper of the Keys. Prison Journal, 86(2), 182-205.
Schaufeli, W.B. & Peeters, M.C.W. (2000). Job Stress and Burnout among Correctional Officers: A Literature Review. International Journal of
Stress Management, Vol. 7: 19-48 doi:10.1023/A:1009514731657

12. References
Tewksbury, R., & Collins, S. C. (2006). Aggression Levels Among Correctional Officers: Reassessing Sex Differences. Prison Journal, 86(3), 327-
343.
Turner, N., Hershcovis, M. S., Reich, T. C., & Totterdell, P. (2014). Work-family interference, psychological distress, and workplace injuries.
Journal Of Occupational & Organizational Psychology, 87(4), 715-732. doi:10.1111/joop.12071
Wells, T., Colbert, S., & Slate, R. N. (2006). Differences in State Probation Officer Stress. Journal Of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 22(1), 63-79.
doi:10.1l77/1043986205285381
Zimbardo, P. (1971) The Stanford Prison Experiment: A Simulation Study Of The Psychology Of Imprisonment. 1971. Pdf. Stanford.