Examining the Mediating Effects of Organizational Trust on the Relationship between Organizational Justice and Job Attitudes among Correctional Staff

• Published date: 01 March 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00328855231222444
• Author: Eric G. Lambert,Nancy L. Hogan,Monica Solinas-Saunders,Weston J. Morrow,Samuel G. Vickovic
• Date: 01 March 2024

Examining the Mediating

Effects of Organizational

Trust on the

Relationship between

Organizational Justice

and Job Attitudes among

Correctional Staff

Eric G. Lambert

1

, Nancy L. Hogan

2

,

Monica Solinas-Saunders

1

,

Weston J. Morrow

3

,

and Samuel G. Vickovic

4

Abstract

Drawing from organizational justice theory, this study examined the mediating

effects of organizational trust on the association between organizational jus-

tice (i.e. in the forms of distributive and procedural justice) and the job atti-

tudes of job satisfaction and organizational commitment in a sample of 220

correctional staff employed full-time at a high-security prison in the U.S.

Midwest. Ordinary least squares regression results indicated that participant

perceptions of organizational trust fully mediated the association between

procedural justice and job satisfaction, but only partially mediated the associ-

ation between distributive justice and job satisfaction. Further, organizational

trust fully mediated the association between both distributive and procedural

organizational justice and staff commitment toward the organization.

1

Indiana University Northwest, Gary, IN, USA

2

Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI, USA

3

The University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA

4

California State University, Long Beach, CA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Eric G. Lambert, Indiana University Northwest School of Public & Environmental Affairs, Dunes

Medical/Professional Building, Room 2101, 3400 Broadway, Gary, IN 46408, USA.

Email: erilambe@iu.edu

Article

The Prison Journal

2024, Vol. 104(2) 244–266

© 2024 SAGE Publications

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/00328855231222444

journals.sagepub.com/home/tpj

Keywords

correctional staff, organizational justice, organizational trust, job satisfaction,

organizational commitment, mediation

Introduction

Correctional staff are a critical resource for the operation of correctional insti-

tutions. Staff are responsible for a myriad of duties and tasks necessary for the

running of a humane, safe, and secure correctional facility (Lambert & Hogan

2009a, 2009b). Staff also account for the bulk of correctional budgets, as

staff‌ing is estimated to account for 70% to 80% of correctional organizations’

operating expenses (Camp & Gaes, 2002; Tewksbury & Higgins, 2006). As

an expensive and valuable resource, research has been conducted on correc-

tional staff for more than four decades, including how workplace variables

affect staff.

One research area has explored how different workplace variables are

related to the two work attitudes of job satisfaction and organizational com-

mitment. Job satisfaction is the degree a person likes their job (Lambert

et al., 2021b; Spector, 1997). Organizational commitment refers to the

bond between a worker and the employing organization (Griff‌in et al.,

2010; Meyer & Allen, 1997). Among correctional staff, job satisfaction and

organizational commitment have been associated with lower levels of job

burnout, absences, and turnover/turnover intent and higher levels of following

regulations, support for organizational change, support for treatment of

offenders, organizational citizenship behaviors (i.e. going beyond what is

expected at work), and life satisfaction (Byrd et al., 2000; Griff‌in et al.,

2010, 2014; Lambert & Hogan, 2009a; Lambert et al., 2005a, 2005b, 2019;

Matz et al., 2013). In light of their importance, research has explored how

various workplace variables are related to correctional staff job satisfaction

and organizational commitment. The workplace variables of organizational

justice and organizational trust have both been studied separately.

Organizational justice refers to employee views that the organization treats

them in a fair and just manner, with distributive justice and procedural justice

being the two major forms of organizational justice (Greenberg, 1990;

Lambert et al., 2007). Organizational trust refers to the degree of trust a

staff member has in the organization (Lambert et al., 2017). Limited past

research indicates that organizational justice is linked to the work attitudes

of job satisfaction and organizational commitment (Lambert et al., 2020,

2021b). Organizational justice and organizational trust, however, have not

been included in the same analysis in terms of their association with job sat-

isfaction and organizational commitment.

Lambert et al. 245