A qualitative research study looking at the effects of prison culture on prison staff and possible solutions to perceived problems. By looking at prison management theory, prison culture, and staff culture, this paper provides a comprehensive explanation of the influences within prison relations and how those influences affect prison staff at both the ‘frontline’ and the administrative levels. This is the first research study in Canada to specifically relate the effects of prison culture on prison staff and examine the correctional institution as a workplace environment. Using interviews as the data collection method, this study shows how the unstable and chaotic nature of the prison negatively influences those working within it. This paper hopes to provide concrete solutions to the problems identified. By doing so, the prison as a workplace can be improved which results in increased job performance and job satisfaction and a better institution to live and work in.
Table of Contents
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Research Questions
2.2 Objectives
2.3 Implications
3.0 Literature Review
3.1 Prison Management Theory
3.2 Prison Culture
3.3 Staff Culture
3.4 Concepts and Themes
4.0 Theoretical Considerations
5.0 Methodology
5.1 Ethical Considerations
5.2 Data Gathering
6.0 Analytical Discussion
6.1 Findings
6.2 Discussion
7.0 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This research aims to investigate the profound effects of prison culture on staff relations and job performance within a correctional environment, seeking to identify practical solutions for workplace improvement. The study specifically addresses how the chaotic and unstable nature of prisons influences staff at both frontline and administrative levels.
- Impact of prison culture on frontline staff and administrators
- Analysis of prison management theory and its real-world application
- Evaluation of staff culture and the "Prison Officer Working Personality"
- Examination of the interplay between inmate behavior and staff job satisfaction
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Prison Culture
Just exactly why a prison is so unstable and dangerous (Stojkovic & Farkas, 2003, pp.63-64) has largely to do with the prison culture. As much as the people involved with the prison influence the culture around them, prison culture characterizes the way the prison operates in quite the same manner. Prison culture is never static; it is always changing with new situations, new inmates/guards, new legislation, new Wardens and/or other administrators, etc. So although never acknowledged formally, there becomes an unwritten code to which everyone adheres to (or has no other choice but to adhere to).
Prison culture is one of the key “empirical and theoretical terrains of prison sociology” (Jewkes, 2007). Defined as the idealized behavior for inmates, the code has been discussed in relation to a range of phenomena including inmate dominance (Ohlin 1956; Sykes 1958; Sykes & Messinger 1960), the process of ‘prisonization’ (Clemmer 1938; Wheeler 1961; Atchley and McCabe 1968), and the pains of imprisonment (Sykes and Messinger 1960).
When someone is sentenced to an institution for the first time, they must learn and adapt to this culture, which Donald Clemmer (1938) refers to as “prisonization” (p.479). Clemmer (1938) identifies basic “universal factors of prisonization” (p.480) in which almost every inmate is subject to such as being referred to as a number, acceptance of an inferior role and controlled life, or something as simple as different bathroom habits. The deepening of criminality and antisociality happens when the prisoner fully conforms to the criminogenic prison culture. The level to which one is prisonized is mostly dependent on interrelated determining factors such as their outside social networks and relationships, cellmates, work gang, criminality, age and length of sentence.
Summary of Chapters
2.0 Introduction: This chapter establishes the exploratory scope of the study, defining the research questions regarding prison culture and its impact on staff performance and inmate relations.
3.0 Literature Review: Provides a comprehensive overview of existing theories on prison management, prison culture, and the development of a unique staff culture within correctional institutions.
4.0 Theoretical Considerations: Outlines the epistemological and ontological foundations of the study, adopting a social constructionist approach to understand the reality of prison life.
5.0 Methodology: Describes the qualitative interview process conducted at the Edmonton Institution for Women, emphasizing the selection of participants and ethical standards.
6.0 Analytical Discussion: Analyzes the interview data, highlighting the disconnection between management policies and ground-level realities while arguing for a shift toward community-based models.
7.0 Conclusion: Summarizes the study’s findings, advocating for increased training, resources, and structural reform to enhance the prison as a workplace environment.
Keywords
Prison culture, Prison staff, Criminology, Prisonization, Staff culture, Correctional facility, Job satisfaction, Prison management, Inmate-guard relations, Qualitative research, Workplace environment, Organizational reform, Employee retention, Social constructionism, Occupational personality
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research paper?
The paper examines how prison culture affects the well-being, job satisfaction, and professional performance of correctional staff, filling a research gap regarding the employee side of prison life.
What are the central themes discussed in the study?
The central themes include prison management theory, the dynamics of prison culture, the unique working personality of prison officers, and the impact of the institution as a high-stress workplace.
What is the core research objective?
The goal is to understand how the unstable and chaotic environment of a prison influences staff, in order to propose concrete solutions that improve job performance and institutional conditions.
Which methodology does the author utilize?
The author conducts semi-standardized, qualitative interviews with a frontline worker and an administrator, using open coding to analyze the data within a social constructionist framework.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The body covers a review of existing literature, a discussion on theoretical considerations, a detailed methodological approach, and an analytical discussion of the findings from the participant interviews.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include Prison culture, Prisonization, Staff culture, Correctional facility, Job satisfaction, and Prison management.
How does the "Prison Officer Working Personality" affect staff?
It creates a sense of isolation from broader society, fostering camaraderie among staff while often putting them in a defensive stance against both inmates and management.
What did the author conclude about the current prison system?
The author argues that the current system is fatally flawed and that superficial changes are insufficient; true progress requires a fundamental shift towards a positive, community-oriented institutional environment.
- Quote paper
- Cory Contini (Author), 2010, The Effect of Prison Culture on Prison Staff, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/230611
