NCJ Number
188609
Journal
Corrections Management Quarterly Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: Spring 2001 Pages: 49-67
Date Published
2001
Length
19 pages
Annotation
During 1998, the Arkansas Department of Correction and the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock entered into a partnership to research the issue of correctional officer retention within the Arkansas Department of Correction; this article discusses the appropriateness of the methodology, the results of the overall study, and potential benefits of using a triangulated approach in the study of correctional officers and other populations that live or work within an enclosed environment.
Abstract
In keeping with the overall objectives of the study, a total population survey was developed and conducted during November 1998. The survey focused on job satisfaction, pay and benefits, job stress and dangerousness, management and team building, and job training and professional development. The second phase of the study used a series of focus group interviews, providing officers with the opportunity to identify and prioritize current problems within the structure and operations of the Department of Correction. The findings indicated that officers with between 2 and 5 years of service were increasingly dissatisfied with their jobs. This group was most vulnerable to both the stresses and strains of their current jobs and outside pressures to seek other employment. Working a rotating shift was often identified as a source of stress that affected both the worker and his/her family. From a policy perspective, the adequacy of the pay and benefits package must be viewed as the major contributing factor in an individual's decision as to whether to remain with a correctional agency or find other correctional employment. Further, both job stress and the inherent dangers of working in a corrections environment contributed to departure among corrections officers. Regarding research methodology, this article recommended a clearly articulated and triangulated research design, a method of integrating stakeholder and researcher concerns into the design of the overall study, a reporting schedule that was realistic and the publishing of both an executive summary and full report of the findings, and recommendations and policy implications that offered practical suggestions for removing problems or reducing their impact on the facility and its constituent groups. 1 table, 46 references, and appended list of 24 policy recommendations