Targeting Misconduct in Prison by Modifying Occupational Factors in Correctional Facilities

Area of Science:

• Criminology
• Occupational Psychology
• Correctional Healthcare

Background:

• Prison misconduct is challenging to study due to its covert nature.
• Limited understanding exists regarding the origins and modifiability of prison misconduct.
• Occupational factors may influence the prevalence and perception of misconduct within correctional facilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the level of misconduct in prison as perceived by correctional staff.
• To examine the impact of perceived misconduct on key occupational factors.
• To explore the relationship between prison misconduct, staff self-efficacy, and absenteeism.

Main Methods:

• Data collected from 60 correctional officers across three units in Berlin, Germany.
• Survey included measures of perceived misconduct, team climate, job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and sick days.
• Regression analysis used to identify associations between variables.

Main Results:

• Higher rates of perceived prison misconduct were reported in regular correctional units compared to treatment units.
• A significant association was found between perceived misconduct, increased sick days, and lower staff self-efficacy.
• Team climate and job satisfaction did not show significant associations with perceived misconduct in this sample.

Conclusions:

• A network model is proposed, linking occupational factors like self-efficacy and absenteeism to prison misconduct.
• Findings suggest that interventions targeting occupational factors could potentially reduce prison misconduct.
• Further research is needed to explore the causal pathways and develop effective intervention strategies.