NCJ Number
187291
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2001 Pages: 1-5-24-27
Date Published
February 2001
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article explores the impact that working in correctional settings has on custody personnel, with attention to the differences between quality-of-professional-life issues in substance abuse treatment environments and in general custody settings.
Abstract
After introducing the issues, the article explains research findings regarding professional environment and subjective perceptions of physical and psychological health for custody personnel at the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF) at Corcoran State Prison in California. The study surveyed 50 custody staff members from the SATF treatment and general population facilities by using three assessment instruments. Several documented indicators were also examined, including inmate disciplinary problems, inmate random urinalysis results, staff sick leave, and occupational injuries. The study findings suggest that facilities with substance abuse therapeutic community treatment have less stressful job environments, higher levels of job satisfaction, fewer occupational injuries, lower rates of staff sick leave, less inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-staff assaults, and less disruptive behavior among inmates. Thus, such inmate substance abuse programs not only benefit offender participants and society as a whole, but also improve working conditions and reduce occupational risks for custody staff. 1 table, 8 charts, and 44 references