NCJ Number
222646
Journal
Criminal Justice Review Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2008 Pages: 48-63
Date Published
March 2008
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the predictors of job satisfaction among jail correctional officers.
Abstract
Results found that the individual- and organizational-level factors impacted job satisfaction; however, the findings should be considered with caution as they are representative of a relatively small sample from one State. Level of education was the only significant individual-level factor; having more education, specifically a college degree, decreased job satisfaction. The relationship between education and job satisfaction involves two components: opportunities and utilization of skills. Three of the organizational-level factors were significant. First, the variables job stress and general stress were the most significant predictors of job satisfaction. Job satisfaction predicts stress and stress predicts job satisfaction. Future research should attempt to examine the relationship between stress, satisfaction, and burnout using longitudinal data, and what factors mediate the relationship between these variables. The finding that supervisory support was a significant predictor of job satisfaction is important because supervisory support was found to be a stronger predictor of job satisfaction than level of education. The significance of this finding highlights the impact of the supervisors on the jail officer’s emotional health. Having the support of one's supervisors also may reduce job turnover. Jail supervisors should be aware of the impact they can have on the employee’s level of job satisfaction so that they can implement changes in the jail, such as reaching out to the officers to see how things are going, listening to the officers, letting them voice complaints and concerns, and interacting in a way that does not humiliate the officer. Data were collected from 2,188 jail officers in one northeastern State. Tables, appendix, references