NCJ Number
79380
Journal
Criminology Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: (August 1981) Pages: 251-270
Date Published
1981
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Work alienation among prison guards is examined by focusing on the nature of the work relations between guards and fellow guards, inmates, and prison administrators.
Abstract
Since the work of Marx and Weber, the concept of alienation has taken on a variety of meanings. Seeman (1959) attempted to clarify the term, distinguishing five varieties of alienation: powerlessness, normlessness, meaninglessness, isolation, and self-estrangement. While not all of these meanings of alienation are equally applicable to every work context, each type appears to be salient to the bureaucratically organized correctional institution. The study examined how the guard's role is subject to the five types of alienating experiences. Data were derived from questionnaire responses of 144 guards working in a large State maximum security prison in the Midwest. Questionnaire data were supplemented by formal interviews with a stratified sample (rank and length of service) of 35 custodial staff to obtain more detailed views of their working relationships and their assessments of institutional policies. Findings indicate that with their traditional status and role altered by institutional reform policies, guards feel threatened by inmates, misunderstood by superiors, and unsupported by fellow officers. With little sense of accomplishment or satisfaction in their work, the personal commitment of guards to their job is minimal. Tabular data, 3 notes, and 23 references are provided.