The Association of Organizational Justice with Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment among Nigerian Correctional Staff

• Published date: 01 February 2021
• Author: Smart E. Otu,Richard Tewksbury,O. Oko Elechi,Eric G. Lambert
• Date: 01 February 2021
• DOI: 10.1177/0306624X20946926
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X20946926

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2021, Vol. 65(2-3) 180 –204

© The Author(s) 2020

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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X20946926

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Article

The Association of

Organizational Justice

with Job Satisfaction

and Organizational

Commitment among

Nigerian Correctional Staff

Eric G. Lambert1 , Richard Tewksbury2,

Smart E. Otu3, and O. Oko Elechi4

Abstract

Correctional staff are a necessary and valuable resource for correctional institutions,

in both Western and Nonwestern nations; however, studies of correctional staff

in Nonwestern nations, particularly those in Africa, are lacking. Improving the job

satisfaction and organizational commitment of these staff are imperative, as both of

these job attitudes have been linked to many salient beneficial outcomes. Most of

the existing empirical research on correctional staff organizational justice explores

only the effects of procedural and distributive justice and ignores interpersonal

justice. Additionally, there has been little research on how procedural, distributive,

and interpersonal justice affect correctional staff in Nonwestern correctional

organizations. The current study explored the effects of all three forms of

organizational justice on the job satisfaction and organizational commitment of

staff at a medium security prison in southeast Nigeria. Based on Ordinary Least

Squares (OLS) regression, all three forms of justice had significant positive effects

on commitment. Procedural and interpersonal justice had positive effects on

job satisfaction, while distributive justice had nonsignificant effects. Correctional

1Department of Criminal Justice, The University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA

2Department of Criminal Justice (Retired), University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

3Department of Sociology/Psychology/Criminology and Security Studies, Faculty of Management and

Social Sciences, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

4Department of Criminal Justice, West Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena, MS, USA

Corresponding Author:

Eric G. Lambert, Department of Criminal Justice, The University of Nevada, Reno, AB601D, Mail Stop

0214, 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89557, USA.

Email: ericlambert@unr.edu

946926IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X20946926International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyLambert et al.

research-article2020

Lambert et al. 181

administrators need to be aware the importance of procedural, distributive, and

interpersonal justice and attempt to improve perceptions of these organizational

justice variables.

Keywords

correctional staff, prison, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, organizational

justice, Nigeria

Crime occurs across the world. While different nations have different approaches to

dealing with crime, virtually all use some type of correctional facility to deal with

individuals who commit crimes. Ideally, these facilities are well run, with correctional

staff carrying out a myriad of tasks and duties to ensure the prison operates as safe,

secure, and humane place. Staff play a vital role in the successful (or unsuccessful)

operation of correctional institutions. Not only do staff have an impact on correctional

organizations, but organizations impact their staff. Empirical research has shown that

workplace variables affect employees’ work attitudes of job satisfaction and organiza-

tional commitment (Elechi et al., 2018; Griffin & Hepburn, 2005; Lambert, 2003;

Tewksbury & Higgins, 2006).

Job satisfaction refers to the degree people like or dislike their jobs (Spector, 1996),

while organizational commitment refers to the bonds that staff members form with the

organization (Allen & Meyer, 1990; Lambert et al., 2015). Job satisfaction and organi-

zational commitment are important work attitudes for both staff and correctional orga-

nizations. Each has been reported to be associated with higher engagement in

organizational citizenship behaviors (i.e., going beyond what is expected at work),

improved work performance, higher support for treatment of inmates, greater compli-

ance with rules, increased life satisfaction, lower absenteeism, reduced job burnout,

lower turnover intent, and less voluntary turnover (Camp, 1994; Culliver et al., 1991;

Hogan et al., 2013; Lambert, Edwards, et al., 2005; Lambert, Elechi, et al., 2019;

Lambert, Hogan, & Griffin, 2008; Lambert, Hogan, et al., 2005; Leip & Stinchcomb,

2013; Matz et al., 2013; Stohr et al., 1992; Whitehead & Lindquist, 1986). These stud-

ies support the need to raise both the job satisfaction and organizational commitment

of correctional staff in order to reduce turnover and improve performance. As such,

research that explores how different workplace variables relate to these two concepts

at different correctional institutions across the globe is needed.

The correctional work environment is complex and has many aspects. A growing

body of studies has examined how different aspects of the workplace relate to correc-

tional staff job satisfaction and organizational commitment; one promising workplace

aspect is organizational justice, which empirical research has linked with correctional

staff job satisfaction and organizational commitment (Boateng & Hsieh, 2019a;

Lambert, 2003, 2008; Lambert & Hogan, 2009; Lambert et al., 2002; Lambert et al.,

2007; Lambert, Hogan, & Jiang, 2008; Lambert, Keena, et al., 2020; Lambert et al.,

2018). Organizational justice refers to the perception that the employing organization