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Carlson, J. R., Anson, R. H., & Thomas, G. (2003). Correctional Officer Burnout and Stress: Does Gender Matter? The Prison Journal, 83(3), 277–288. doi:10.1177/0032885503256327

Abstract

Numerous researchers have hypothesized or found that women correctional officers experience greater job-related stress than their male counterparts (Cullen, Link, Wolfe, & Frank, 1985; Slate, 1993; Wright and Saylor, 1991; Zupan, 1986). The con-temporary literature has presented little data testing the relationship between gender and burnout in a maximum security prison setting. In the present study, 277 correctional officers were administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Item analysis of the MBI confirms earlier studies demonstrating scale reliability. Contrary to earlier stress studies conducted in the 1980s, women correctional officers demonstrated a greater sense of job-related personal achievement and accomplishment (F= 5.38, p = .02) than their men counterparts. Men and women correctional officers were found to be homogeneous groups on emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.

Cheeseman, K. A., & Downey, R. A. (2012). Talking “Bout My Generation”: The Effect of “Generation” on Correctional Employee Perceptions of Work Stress and Job Satisfaction. The Prison Journal, 92(1), 24–44. doi:10.1177/0032885511428796

Abstract

Much of the literature regarding correctional officer job stress and job satisfaction has examined the roles of organizational and demographic variables. This study examined the relationships among generation, job stress, and job satisfaction of correctional officers in a southern prison system. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess the relative impact of demographic variables and generation on job stress and job satisfaction, as well as the impact that stress and satisfaction have on one another. Results indicate that generation membership and job stress significantly shape correctional officers’ perceptions regarding job satisfaction. Conversely, gender and job satisfaction significantly influence job stress. The authors recommend that further research on generational differences among correctional officers be undertaken to assess the overall impact that generation has on employee perceptions of correctional employment.

Morgan, R. D., Van Haveren, R. A., & Pearson, C. A. (2002). Correctional Officer Burnout: Further Analyses. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 29(2), 144–160. doi:10.1177/0093854802029002002

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of several variables that have led to inconsistent results in previous studies on correctional officer stress, as well as expand previous research by exploring the relationship of two new variables (i.e., occupational title and work station) with correctional officer stress. Participants in this study consisted of 250 correctional officers from a Southwestern state department of corrections. Results indicated that older and more educated officers reported increased levels of personal accomplishment, whereas less experienced officers and officers with increasing job responsibilities experienced increased levels of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion and decreased levels of personal accomplishment. Furthermore, gender comparisons indicated that female correctional officers were less likely to respond impersonally to inmates than their male counterparts. Implications and areas for future research are discussed.