Correctional officers are shouldered with important responsibilities designed to reinforce institutional security, yet work under hazardous conditions that can jeopardize their wellbeing. Among the myriad dangers they confront, COVID-19 has now presented itself as an additional threat to officer wellness. Presently little is known about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected officers, or their respective institutions. Semi-structured interview data collected from correctional officers working in a large, urban county jail located in the southeastern United States ( N = 21) revealed how COVID-19 significantly disrupted institutional operations, compounded health concerns for officers, and created a climate of confusion over procedures designed to contain spread of the virus. Policy implications are discussed.

Jail administrators and officers have been confronted with a number of workplace problems as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Ever since its emergence, they have been required to contain outbreaks of the virus, manage a correctional population that has grown increasingly frustrated over restrictions imposed on their movements, and contend with health protocols that have been in a constant state of fluctuation. This article commences the literature on how exactly jail staff have responded to these serious problems. Semistructured interview data collected from administrators and officers employed in a county-level jail located in the southeastern United States (N = 21) revealed how, to contain viral spread, respondents received the vaccine and wore masks at all times while working. Trauma-informed leadership was embraced by superiors to help their line-staff deal with the confusion created by constant health policy changes, while gentle communication styles were adopted to de-escalate potentially hostile interactions with detainees. Implications for correctional policy and practice are discussed in light of these findings.