Trauma in the correctional field and the correctional worker habitus

Abstract

Prisons and other correctional settings are spaces often marked by numerous sources of physical, psychological, and emotional insecurity. Researchers have consistently found correctional work to be associated with outcomes such as burnout, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression. Drawing on open-ended survey questions with correctional workers (CWs) in the province of Ontario, we first identify salient themes in discussions of work stressors and potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs); these include situations involving harm to prisoners, harm to staff, and harms associated with occupational and organizational culture. Next, employing the concept of “habitus,” we consider the social-subjective effects of exposure to PPTEs as revealed in respondent accounts. Key aspects include a disposition of hypervigilance, desensitization, disillusionment, and distrust. We suggest that the CW habitus may, in some ways, serve to mitigate threats in the work environment, though may have negative effects on job performance and well-being, and come to shape social experiences in everyday life.

‘The human toll’: Highlighting the unacknowledged harms of prison suicide which radiate across stakeholder groups

“…Together, these quotations highlight that prisoner suicides create primary trauma which spreads beyond staff directly involved at the scene across prison staff collectives, with implications for staff and prisoners. This supports McKendy et al’s (2021: 14) finding that ‘direct or indirect exposure to suicide’ may cause psychological distress to correctional workers ‘across professional positions’. Suicides cause significant disturbance and may lead to long periods of leave or even staff never returning to work (Barry, 2017; Roulston et al, 2021).…”

“…Exposure to suicide is a primary trauma that can have a negative 'transformative' impact on prison staff: affecting their practice, coping mechanisms and relationships (Barry, 2017: 59; see also McKendy et al, 2021;Ricciardelli, 2019). The 'circles of vulnerability' model indicates that those at the centre of the circle, who discover the body, were in close familial or social circles, or felt psychologically close to the deceased are particularly likely to be affected by the death (Ayalon, 1993).…”

“…Staff–prisoner proximity means that staff experiences of suicide can reflect familial bereavements (Snow and McHugh, 2002). Suicides form a significant risk factor for staff developing psychological trauma, which can affect staff long after the death (Barry, 2017; McKendy et al, 2021). Staff may develop prolonged and complicated grief (Roulston et al, 2021), involving ‘absent, excessive, distorted, or unending’ responses, delayed grief reactions and ‘masked’ symptoms or behaviours that are not easily recognisable as grief (Joy and Baron, 2008: 136).…”

“…Impacts are not limited to staff with direct involvement in deaths. Workers including correctional officers, probation and parole officers and health/psychology staff who are ‘less likely to bear witness or respond to […] suicide […] are nonetheless impacted’ (McKendy et al, 2021: 6). Regarding executions in the United States, vicarious trauma-affected staff who were only indirectly involved, such as prison chaplains, wardens and correctional officers who escorted prisoners (Chiappetta and Johnson, 2021).…”

“…Subsequent ‘over cautious’ suicide prevention efforts then negatively affect prisoner care and support (Ludlow et al, 2015: 58). Moreover, the likelihood of complicated grief is increased by staff feeling and being criticised in investigations (McKendy et al, 2021). Prison staff consider the PPO's recommendations as ‘inappropriate, unrealistic or a reflection of being poorly informed about the ‘realities’ of prison life’ and unhelpful for managing suicide risks (Ludlow et al, 2015: 58).…”