Job Burnout in Probation and Parole - Its Extent and Intervention Implications

• NCJ Number: 97802
• Journal: Criminal Justice Journal Volume: 12 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1985) Pages: 91-110
• Author(s): J T Whitehead
• Date Published: 1985
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): 81-IJ-CX-0039
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Earlier version presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Louisville, March 1982.

Annotation

Data are presented from a sample of almost 1000 probation and parole workers concerning job burnout, as measured by one currently accepted indicator.

Abstract

The problem was not as extensive as some popular accounts have implied, but a sizable proportion of the sample did report experiencing the difficulty. Findings on the levels of burnout at different seniority levels suggest that burnout is worst for employees past their initial period of employment and lowest for the newly hired and for the most experienced. Intervention implications based on this preliminary analysis include attention to consciousness raising, orientation program development, and utilization of more experienced probation officers as mentors. (Publisher abstract)