This document summarizes prison staffing and the roles of various correctional institution personnel. It discusses the roles of wardens, deputy wardens, correctional officers, and other staff. It also covers the demographics, recruitment, training, duties and stressors of correctional officers. The document concludes by discussing collective bargaining, civil service laws, liability issues, and how staff can protect themselves from civil rights suits.

1. Institutional
Corrections

2. Prison Staffing

3.  Institutional Managers
 Warden
▪ Prison operations
▪ Main contact with the outside world
▪ Department of corrections

4.  Institutional Managers
 Deputy Warden for management
 Buying supplies
 Keeping up the buildings and grounds
 Providing food
 Maintaining financial records

5.  Correctional Officers—Custody
 Chain of command
▪ Captain
▪ Lieutenant
▪ Officer
 Role conflict

6.  Program Personnel
 Educational, vocational, and treatment
programs
 Agricultural and Industrial Supervisors

7.  Role Characteristics
 Custodial
 Human service providers
▪ Providing goods and services
▪ Referral agents or advocates
▪ Helping with institutional adjustment
 Contradictory role expectations

8.  Who Becomes a Correctional Officer?
 Racial/Ethnic Composition of Correctional Officers and Inmates, Adult
Systems Nationwide.

9.  Recruitment
 Salary
 Overtime pay
 Minorities
 Women

10.  Training
 Preservice training program
▪ Physical training
▪ Discipline
▪ Class work
 On the job training
 Annual training

11.  Block Officers
 Closest contact with prisoners
 Dangerous
 Inmate movement
 Unit maintenance
 Security
 Management and leadership skills

12.  Work Detail Supervisors
 More relaxed than cell block
 Work relationship with inmates
 Smaller social distance
 More informal relationships

13.  Yard Officers
 Most unstructured
environment in prison
 No specific duties
 Perimeter Security Officers
 Alone
 Boring

14.  Female Officers in Male Institutions
 Male officers opposed to sexual integration of
the guard force
 Privacy for male
inmates
 “Softening”
influence

15.  Job Stress and Burnout
 High turnover
 Job stress
▪ Relationships with coworkers
▪ Departmental policies
▪ Time on the job
 Job burnout

16.  Job Stress and Burnout
 Positive outcomes of reducing stress
▪ Financial savings
▪ Safety levels
▪ Staff morale
 Organizational justice
 Procedural justice
 Distributive justice

17.  Boundary Violations
 General boundary violations
 Dual relationships
 Staff-inmate sexual contact

18.  Use of Force
 No corporal punishment or excessive force
 When may force be used?
▪ Self-defense
▪ Defense of third persons
▪ Upholding prison rules
▪ Prevention of a crime
▪ Prevention of escapes

19.  Collective Bargaining
 Unions
▪ Increase wages and benefits
▪ Improve working conditions
▪ Combat efforts to privatize corrections
▪ Lobby for legislation
 Not allowed to strike
▪ Stoppages
▪ “sickouts”

20.  Civil Service Laws
 Most correctional personnel are public
employees
 Govern the work environment
 Set procedures for
▪ Hiring, promoting, assigning, disciplining, and firing
public employees
 Protect from discrimination

21.  Liability of Correctional Personnel
 Section 1983
▪ Means for prisoners, probationers, and parolees to
bring suit against correctional officials
▪ Individual officers and agencies may be sued when
“customs and usages” violate civil rights
▪ Private prisons
▪ Correctional employees may be sued as individuals

22.  How should correctional workers protect
themselves from civil rights suits?
 Follow agency policies and the instructions of supervisors
 Obtain good training
 Become familiar with the law directly affecting the job
 Find a good mentor
 Keep good records