Workplace demands and resources as antecedents of jail officer perceived danger at work

Working on local time: Testing the job-demand-control-support model of stress with jail officers

“…Static risk assessments (e.g., based on criminal history or offense type) classify inmates into custody levels but do not address inmates' behavioral issues or proclivities. Even when regularly updated (i.e., jails vary greatly in data management practices), data are not readily available to officers and they cannot absorb this information across the hundreds if not thousands of inmates they supervise ( Lambert et al, 2018 ). In short, jail officers supervise a diverse array of criminal and/or antisocial personalities under situational and institutional conditions that limit remunerative controls or compliance mechanisms (see Huebner, 2003 ).…”

“…In short, jail officers supervise a diverse array of criminal and/or antisocial personalities under situational and institutional conditions that limit remunerative controls or compliance mechanisms (see Huebner, 2003 ). Thus, despite supervising (on average) less serious offenders than their prison counterparts, jail officers work under incredibly chaotic and unpredictable conditions that lead to work stress ( Ellison, 2017 ; Ellison & Gainey, 2020 ; Lambert et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Researchers have identified some of the factors that threaten officer well-being and safety ( Cullen et al, 1985 ; Paoline et al, 2015 ; Steiner and Wooldredge, 2015 , Steiner and Wooldredge, 2017 ), but most of this information is based on samples of correctional officers working in prisons rather than jails ( Butler, Tasca, Zhang, & Carpenter, 2019 ). A non-trivial portion of correctional officers (i.e., about one-third) work in jails, where population turnover and a lack of resources and control mechanisms produce a chaotic environment fraught with safety and wellness risks ( Lambert, Gordon, Paoline III, & Hogan, 2018 ). A recent study, for example, showed that 16.4% of jail officers reported being assaulted by inmates in the past year; one-half (55%) reported being threatened in the past three months and most of those officers were threatened two or more times ( Ellison & Gainey, 2020 ).…”

“…To expand the small body of literature regarding safety and wellness among jail staff ( Applegate & Paoline, 2007 ; Ellison & Gainey, 2020 ; Lambert et al, 2004 , Lambert et al, 2018 ; Lambert & Paoline, 2005 ), we examine the factors that affect work stress among a sample of officers working in 19 jails. Guided by the Job Demand-Control-Support model utilized in parallel research among prison officers (i.e., see Johnson & Hall, 1988 ; Steiner & Wooldredge, 2015 ), we examine whether increased job demands, less job control or support, or safety risks increase levels of work stress among jail officers.…”

Training for the job: evaluation of a self-defence training programme for correctional officers

“…Research has shown that correctional officers in other countries also experienced high pressure, leading to incorrect interventions (e.g. Lambert et al, 2018;Kinman, Clements, and Hart, 2016).…”