Although emotional burnout of prison staff is costly to all involved, it has not received the kind of research attention that is warranted. This exploratory study focused on the impact of job characteristics on the emotional exhaustion dimension of burnout of prison staff. Using data from 272 staff members at a Midwestern state prison, this study found that both job feedback and job autonomy had negative effects on the index of emotional exhaustion burnout; however, both supervision and job variety had nonsignificant 4The Prison Journal 92(1) effects. The study further discussed possible reasons for both the significant and nonsignificant relationships.

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The majority of current research on inappropriate relationships between correctional staff and inmates involves a qualitative approach. This study sought to provide a quantitative analysis of these boundary violators by self-report data, which was provided by male inmates in a southern prison system. Building upon research by Allen and Bosta (Games criminals play. Susanville, CA: Rae John Publishers, 1981) and Marquart et al. (Justice Quarterly 18:877-910, 2001) the inmates were divided into two distinct categories: Inmates who indicated "No relationship", and those inmates who were "boundary violators". This study examined the differences between these two categories utilizing demographic characteristics, custody level, and attitudes and prison behavior. Significant differences were found in boundary violator attitudes about female correctional officers and the behavior they exhibit in the presence of females.

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