Criminal Justice and Behavior

Publisher:: Sage Publications, Inc.
Publication date:: 2021-09-06

ISBN:: 0093-8548

Issue Number

Latest documents

Expanding Research on Investigations of Officer-Involved Shootings: An Experimental Evaluation of Question Timing on Police Officers’ Memory Recall
The timing of an investigation after an officer-involved shooting (OIS) is influenced by conflicting forces. The public demands expedited resolution, but police officers are provided several protections that can delay investigations of their actions. This study conducts a randomized experiment to determine the impact of question timing after an OIS on the accuracy of police officers’ memory recall. Officers were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The treatment group completed a questionnaire after participating in a live-action, active shooter training scenario and again 2 days later, whereas the control group only completed the questionnaire 2 days later. Our findings suggest the timing of interviews after training did not influence officers’ recall of the scenario. There is little empirical understanding of how police officers reconstruct OIS events; further interdisciplinary research can help clarify these cognitive processes. This research could strengthen a traditional pathway to provide accountability for officers through investigations.
From Soldiers to Staff Members: An Examination of Veteran Status Across Occupational Outcomes Within the Prison Context
Some prison systems across the United States actively recruit veterans of the Armed Forces based on the idea that prior military experience is an asset for prison work—a presupposition that has yet to be empirically validated. We examined whether military experience is relevant in explaining variation in occupational outcomes in a statewide random sample of prison staff in Kentucky. Results from a structural equation model (confirmatory factor analysis and multivariate regression with latent constructs of job outcomes) suggest more similarities than differences between veteran and nonveteran prison staff—a finding that also applies across veterans with different military backgrounds (based on branch of service, years served, injuries sustained during service, etc.). Implications for theory and policy are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.
The Keepers: Returning Citizens’ Experiences With Prison Staff Misconduct
Correctional staff play a major role in the incarceration experience for millions of U.S. adults each year. While much research has addressed misconduct perpetrated by incarcerated persons, less has systematically addressed rule-violating behavior by correctional staff and how such conduct is perceived by formerly incarcerated individuals. Using qualitative data gathered from 38 interviews with men and women recently released from prison, we examine their experiences with prison staff misconduct. Respondents shared observations of staff misconduct related to medical neglect, violence, and contraband, but experiences differed for men and women, raising concerns regarding conditions of confinement. We caution that such conduct has the potential to undermine the legitimacy of correctional authority in prison settings, which is troubling because heightened legitimacy is an important aspect of legal socialization that helps to reduce offending. Research and policy development on the frequency and consequences of prison staff misconduct is warranted.
Incremental Validity of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire in the Preemployment Assessment of Police Officer Candidates
Guidelines for screening public safety personnel candidates, including law enforcement positions, incorporate the use of separate psychological tests for assessing normal and abnormal functioning. We evaluated the incremental validity of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ)—a measure of normal personality traits—beyond the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF), a measure of psychopathology, using a sample of 1,687 candidates for law enforcement positions. They were clinically rated on 10 psychological suitability dimensions. For a subset of those who were subsequently hired as police officers (n = 397), we also had post-hire outcome data. Using hierarchical nonlinear regression analyses, we found that the MPQ scales incremented the MMPI-2-RF scales in the prediction of 17 of 19 variables in this study. Our results indicate that the MPQ, as a measure of normal personality, provides unique information about psychological suitability and predicts negative post-hire outcomes in police candidates.
Pervasive Uncertainty under Threat: Mental Health Disorders and Experiences of Uncertainty for Correctional Workers
Exposure to potentially psychologically traumatic events for correctional workers is high. However, the mechanisms driving the high prevalence are relatively unexplained. Using data from a cross-sectional, online survey of correctional service workers (n = 845) in Ontario, Canada, collected in 2017–2018, we assess the prevalence of mental disorders with a specific focus on uncertainty in the workplace and between correctional roles. We find that correctional officers, institutional governance, and probation/parole officers appear most at risk of mental disorders (prevalence of any mental disorder was 56.9%, 60.3%, and 59.2%, respectively). We argue slightly lower prevalence among institutional wellness, training, and administrative staff may result in part from their more predictable work environment, where they have more control. The results reaffirm a need for evidence-based proactive mental health activities, knowledge translation, and treatment and a need to explore how authority without control (i.e., unpredictability at work) can inform employee mental health.
“The Light at the End of the Tunnel Has Been Permanently Shut Off”: Work-Role Overload Among U.S. Police
The functional breadth of the police role is a primary issue facing law enforcement. However, few empirical data examine how officers are experiencing an occupational environment characterized by an increasingly wider range of new (but routine) duties. I take a qualitative approach to explore experiences of work-role overload via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a sample of U.S. police officers (N = 48). By applying the framework for thematic analysis, I find that work-role overload is a robust feature of police officers’ occupational experiences and presents in two ways: (a) through quantitative overload related to the excessive volume of work demands and (b) qualitative overload related to strained or diminished psychological resources. The findings provide valuable insights for improving the theoretical understanding of work-role overload among police in light of international trends toward broadening law enforcement’s social functions and add to contemporary discussions to “defund the police.”
Improving the Mental Health of Correctional Workers: Perspectives From the Field
Researchers illuminate the mental health plight of correctional workers by demonstrating a high prevalence of mental health disorders among the group. Yet, structural barriers persist in preventing correctional staff from accessing treatment and support—barriers that may result in more prolonged and pronounced symptoms. We consider correctional staff perspectives on how mental health policies at the organizational level can foster better well-being outcomes for employees. Data are drawn from open-ended survey responses from provincial and territorial correctional employees (N = 870) in Canada. Responses collectively highlight the need for a correctional staff mental health paradigm that reflects the sources of stress among correctional workers, including access to specialized mental health services that are easily accessible, immediately available, and comprehensive in nature. Additional aspects of the work environment were identified as venues for important change, including improvements in work and schedule structures, improved manager–staff relations, and changes to the physical environment.
Improving the Mental Health of Correctional Workers: Perspectives From the Field
Researchers illuminate the mental health plight of correctional workers by demonstrating a high prevalence of mental health disorders among the group. Yet, structural barriers persist in preventing correctional staff from accessing treatment and support—barriers that may result in more prolonged and pronounced symptoms. We consider correctional staff perspectives on how mental health policies at the organizational level can foster better well-being outcomes for employees. Data are drawn from open-ended survey responses from provincial and territorial correctional employees (N = 870) in Canada. Responses collectively highlight the need for a correctional staff mental health paradigm that reflects the sources of stress among correctional workers, including access to specialized mental health services that are easily accessible, immediately available, and comprehensive in nature. Additional aspects of the work environment were identified as venues for important change, including improvements in work and schedule structures, improved manager–staff relations, and changes to the physical environment.
From Soldiers to Staff Members: An Examination of Veteran Status Across Occupational Outcomes Within the Prison Context
Some prison systems across the United States actively recruit veterans of the Armed Forces based on the idea that prior military experience is an asset for prison work—a presupposition that has yet to be empirically validated. We examined whether military experience is relevant in explaining variation in occupational outcomes in a statewide random sample of prison staff in Kentucky. Results from a structural equation model (confirmatory factor analysis and multivariate regression with latent constructs of job outcomes) suggest more similarities than differences between veteran and nonveteran prison staff—a finding that also applies across veterans with different military backgrounds (based on branch of service, years served, injuries sustained during service, etc.). Implications for theory and policy are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.
Expanding Research on Investigations of Officer-Involved Shootings: An Experimental Evaluation of Question Timing on Police Officers’ Memory Recall
The timing of an investigation after an officer-involved shooting (OIS) is influenced by conflicting forces. The public demands expedited resolution, but police officers are provided several protections that can delay investigations of their actions. This study conducts a randomized experiment to determine the impact of question timing after an OIS on the accuracy of police officers’ memory recall. Officers were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The treatment group completed a questionnaire after participating in a live-action, active shooter training scenario and again 2 days later, whereas the control group only completed the questionnaire 2 days later. Our findings suggest the timing of interviews after training did not influence officers’ recall of the scenario. There is little empirical understanding of how police officers reconstruct OIS events; further interdisciplinary research can help clarify these cognitive processes. This research could strengthen a traditional pathway to provide accountability for officers through investigations.