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Journal Article 1: Steiner, B., & Wooldredge, J. (2015). Individual and environmental sources of work stress among prison officers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 42, 800–818.

Abstract: Work stress has been linked to a number of negative outcomes for employees and organizations. Drawing from the Job Demand–Control (–Support) model, we examined the influences of work stress among more than 1,800 prison officers working in 45 prisons across Ohio and Kentucky. Multilevel analyses revealed that individual factors such as experiencing victimization and greater job demands were related to more stress among prison officers, whereas perceived control over inmates and support from coworkers and supervisors were associated with less stress. Facility violence was also linked to higher levels of officer stress across prisons.

Journal Article 2: Batton, C., & Wright, E. M. (2018). Patriarchy and the structure of employment in criminal justice: Differences in the experiences of men and women in the legal profession, corrections, and law enforcement. Feminist Criminology. (Online first)

Abstract: Feminist scholars have long argued that patriarchy affects the structure and organization of society as well as the lived experiences of men and women. Although often referenced in discussions of gender differences in crime and justice, few have articulated more specifically the link between patriarchy and gender differences in the experiences of men and women as victims, offenders, or workers. We take up the challenge to theorize patriarchy and examine the extent to which it operates as an organizing principle with regard to employment in the criminal justice system. We consider differences in the representation of men and women working in the legal profession, corrections, and law enforcement, as well as the culture and structure of these workplace environments in the United States. We argue that patriarchy is a useful midlevel theoretical concept that helps explain both quantitative and qualitative gender differences in criminal justice work. This study complements the “doing gender” approach by focusing on gender at the institutional level, and describing how the culture and structure of the criminal justice system shape and constrain the experiences of individuals occupying social roles within it.

Journal Article 3: Lambert, E. G., Paoline, E. A., III, & Hogan, N. L. (2018). Exploring how workplace factors are associated with role strain among jail staff: A replication and expansion study. Criminal Justice and Behavior. (Online first)

Abstract: Role strain has many negative outcomes. While the majority of role strain research has focused on its effects, this study explored possible antecedents of role strain among staff at a large, urban Southern jail in the United States. Based on regression analysis of survey data, instrumental communication, views that policy is followed, input into decision-making, formalization, and supervisory support each had significant negative effects on role strain. Administrative support and positive relations with coworkers, however, had nonsignificant effects. Jail administrators should attempt to reduce role strain by creating clear structure of job duties and expectations (formalization), providing staff with a greater organizational voice (input into decision-making), explaining the importance of organizational policies being followed and how they benefit staff, improving the flow of critical information about job and organizational matters (instrumental communication), and training supervisors about how to provide support to their subordinates and reward them for doing so (supervisory support).