Reducing Corrections Officer Stress by Improving Prison Climate: The Importance of Support and Safety

• Published date: 01 November 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00328855231200636
• Author: Stacie St. Louis,Carlos E. Monteiro,Natasha A. Frost
• Date: 01 November 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

Reducing Corrections

Off‌icer Stress by

Improving Prison

Climate: The

Importance of Support

and Safety

Stacie St. Louis

1

, Carlos E. Monteiro

2

,

and Natasha A. Frost

3

Abstract

Prior research has identif‌ied the importance of social climate in psychiatric and

correctional facilities. In studies of corrections off‌icer (CO) stress, organiza-

tional measures are typically the strongest correlates. This article combines

these research areas, examining the relationship between prison climate and

corrections off‌icer stress. Analyzing data from a sample of 239 off‌icers in a

northeastern state, f‌indings indicate that prison climate, particularly system

maintenance, contributes to both off‌icers’work-related and generalized stress

and anxiety. Perceptions of inmates’personal growth are also associated with

decreased generalized stress and anxiety. Off‌icers should feel supported and

safe at work to improve the prison climate and reduce off‌icer stress.

Keywords

corrections off‌icer, prison climate, stress, social support, conditions of

conf‌inement

1

Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA

2

Suffolk University, Boston, MA, USA

3

Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Stacie St. Louis, Georgia Southern University Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology,

1360 Southern Drive, Carroll Building, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA.

Email: sstlouis@georgiasouthern.edu

Article

The Prison Journal

2023, Vol. 103(5) 633–654

© 2023 SAGE Publications

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/00328855231200636

journals.sagepub.com/home/tpj

Introduction

Correctional institutions are unique work environments where employees face

many demands uncommon in other professions. Corrections off‌icers (COs)

are paid to supervise potentially violent people against their will, risking

their safety for the sake of their job. Numerous studies have found that cor-

rectional staff have greater stress and wellbeing concerns than employees in

other f‌ields, such as policing (Goldberg et al., 1996; Johnson et al., 2005;

Summerlin et al., 2010). For example, Florida COs reported higher levels

of stress than police off‌icers across most organizational categories, including

perceptions of inconsistent leadership and staff shortages (Summerlin et al.,

2010). Moreover, compared to workers in 26 professions, COs were ranked

the highest in job dissatisfaction and higher than police off‌icers concerning

physical health and psychological wellbeing concerns (Johnson et al., 2005,

p. 183). Despite such f‌indings, research on police off‌icer stress far exceeds

that of correctional off‌icer stress. More attention should be paid to under-

standing the sources and consequences of stress specif‌ic to corrections

off‌icers.

Similar to police off‌icers, COs’elevated levels of stress can have medical,

behavioral, attitudinal, and emotional consequences (Finn, 2000). Their

stress-related health problems are extensive, including heart attacks, heart

disease, hypertension, and ulcers (Armstrong & Griff‌in, 2004; Cheek &

Miller, 1983; Costello et al., 2015; Finn, 1998; Härenstam et al., 1988).

COs’mental health can also be compromised by their heightened stress,

with off‌icers exhibiting high emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and

mental health concerns (Butler et al., 2019; St. Louis et al., 2023). Perhaps

most striking, correctional staff have a higher risk for suicide than workers

in other occupations (New Jersey Police Suicide Task Force, 2009; Stack

& Tsoudis, 1997), with correction off‌icers, police off‌icers, and non-protective

service workers having unique risk factors for suicide (Zimmerman et al.,

2023). The rate of corrections off‌icer suicide is particularly high in the state

of the current study, exceeding that of the general public and the incarcerated

population (Carson, 2021; Frost & Monteiro, 2020). COs may exhibit mal-

adaptive coping mechanisms (e.g., drinking, anger, abuse) to alleviate their

heightened stress (Bierie, 2012). Accordingly, absenteeism and turnover are

both problems in the correctional workforce, as is substance abuse, sleeping

issues, and divorce (e.g., Cheek & Miller, 1983; Finn, 1998; Lambert et al.,

2010; Schaufeli & Peeters, 2000).

Given the varied consequences of stress for off‌icer wellness, it is crucial to

identify the determinants of corrections off‌icer stress. Prior research on CO

stress has highlighted the importance of organizational factors as opposed

634 The Prison Journal 103(5)