NCJ Number
242408
Date Published
2012
Length
10 pages
Annotation
After discussing the risk for workplace violence against employees and clients of community corrections agencies, this "Fact Sheet" identifies and discusses key elements of an agency's prevention and response to workplace violence.
Abstract
Recent statistics indicate that workplace violence in general is still a significant problem for employers, workers, and the criminal justice system. This Fact Sheet takes note of one particular type of violence that often occurs in the workplace, i.e., intimate partner violence (IPV). Studies show that IPV can have serious and wide-ranging impacts on victims when the perpetrator comes to the victim's workplace to commit violence. Recognizing that community corrections employees are not immune from committing or being victimized by IPV, in 2005 the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) approved a Position Statement and Model Policy on Employee-Involved Domestic Violence. Its purpose is to provide guidance to community corrections agencies on implementing policies and practices that address employee-involved domestic violence. Another section of the Fact Sheet lists the 10 factors that may increase a worker's risk for workplace assault as determined by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Many of these factors are noted to be present in the work of community corrections officers, thus increasing their risk for workplace violence. This is followed by an outline of the categories of workplace violence as identified by the Injury Prevention Research Center. Next, key elements for preventing and responding to workplace violence are identified and discussed. They consist of planning for post-trauma response; establishing post-trauma response policies and protocols; delivering staff training; anticipating victim-supportive responses by agency and staff; planning for treatment and services for victims; coordinating with law enforcement and prosecution; planning for response to line-of-duty deaths; and planning for media coverage of critical incidents. 4 figures and 18 references