Sources of stress among Federal Correctional Officers in Canada

Abstract

Most correctional officers describe their jobs as stressful. The current study advances the scholarship on correctional stress by offering a rare qualitative analysis that identifies, provides meaning, and contextualizes sources of stress in correctional services. This study complements the correctional stress literature, which, until now, has relied primarily on quantitative methodologies to identify and assess stress determinants. Forty-four correctional officers from Canada’s federal prisons were interviewed about their primary source of stress. Findings indicate that staff (i.e., co-workers and managers), not prison residents, represent a primary source of stress in correctional work. In addition, job seniority and gossip were the main stress triggers associated with co-workers, while centralization of decision-making processes and a lack of instrumental communication and support triggered stress coming from managers.

Correctional Officer Culture in Canada: Proving Oneself for In-Group Acceptance

“…In-group acceptance was invaluable to COs; it determined their safety at work and shaped their feelings of security at work. Being othered or allocated to the out-group increased organizational stress, made one the possible target of gossip (Siqueira Cassiano & Ricciardelli, 2023), and had vast influences on experiences of alienation within CO culture. Thus, there was value in feeling a part of a group that is intended to maintain safety, while being othered increased vulnerabilities and negatively shaped the work experience.…”