NCJ Number
85404
Date Published
1981
Length
42 pages
Annotation
This report describes some of the background characteristics of the employees of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections on September 30, 1980.
Abstract
The department has almost 3,000 positions, of which 83 percent are currently filled. The typical staff person is a grade 15 correctional officer who works in a major institution. This individual is likely to be a white male with 7 years of State service. Women are concentrated in two job categories: office/clerical and professional. They are more likely than males to be minorities and less likely to be veterans. Their job grade levels are much lower than those of males, partly because of their job categorizations and shorter periods of service. The department currently has 171 minority staff members, of whom 33 percent are female. Minority group members are found mainly in protective service and professional job categories. Minorities and whites do not differ in the average grade levels of their jobs. Protective service workers are mainly male, white, and veterans. Women and minorities are underrepresented in senior and supervisory positions. Inmates and staff are similar in their proportions of males and females. The department's staff is similar to the State labor force as a whole in its racial composition, but has proportionately fewer women than the labor force of the State. Tables and appendixes listing job classifications and describing the study methodology are provided.