Unit.D.2.3.
Correctional Officer
Australia |
focus
points
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Insert forensic
focus points here
Canada |
focus
points
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Of interest -
it was only in the early 1980's that Canada federally and
provincially first hired female correctional officers to
work on units with male offenders, prior it was unheard
of. This came about due to the passing of the Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms in 1982.
"Approximately
7,000 correctional officers are employed by Correctional
Service Canada" (CSC, 1994).
International |
focus
points
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Insert forensic
focus points here
United Kingdom |
focus
points
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"'Policing'
in its broadest sense is a term meaning 'the whole craft
of governing a social order', as Reiner observes in his
Oxford Handbook of Criminology review of the policing literature.
This craft, of governing a social order, is a key problem
of the prison. The policing literature- with its emphasis
on 'law in action', peacekeeping, the need for community
consent and the observed social practices of 'low visibility'
police officers, offers some useful sensitizing tools to
apply to the less researched practices of prison officers.
Many relevant issues arise: the use of informal rules, the
deployment of authority rather than the rules, the significance
of 'talk', and the need for scrutiny and management of discretion.
Important (and possibly more distinct) aspects of prison
life include the role of relationships, which are arguably
'instruments of power', and the shifting power base of prison
staff away from exchange and accommodation towards coercion.
There is a gulf between the 'rule following' or 'compliance
model' of prison work favoured by risk-averse officials
and the 'negotiation model' actually delivered by most prison
staff. The sociology of prison life needs to turn its attention
to these significant and changing forms of the penal enterprise"
(Liebling, 2000, p. 333).
"Qualifications
held by prison health care workers, in March, 1996, out
of workforce of 1456, only 21% (132 are registered mental
nurses (RMN's) and approximately 25% hold no nursing qualifications
at all" (Polczyk-Przybyla & Gournay, 1999, p. 896).
"Development
for the prison officer's job in recent years has heightened
the need for conceptual and analytical skills, the ability
to take a theoretical perspective, and enhanced interpersonal
skills for the purpose of interviewing prisoners and writing
appropriate reports" (Roden, 1999, p. 6).
"For a
long time the Prison Service has accepted the broad notion
that the prison officer's job is essentially about being
"firm but fair"
- First they
must be alert to threats to security, and be able to deal
firmly but professionally with prisoners who transgress
prison rules.
- Second they
must establish relationships with prisoners which enable
them to deal effectively with their problems and requests
for help" (Roden, 1999, p. 6).
"The effective
prisoner officer must relate to prisoners. This involves
them being fair, knowing them as individuals, communicating
effectively, being consistent and listening. At times he/she
will have to be assertive without being hostile, or aggressive
and at other times helpful and understanding without becoming
emeshed emotionally and thereby susceptible to manipulation"
(Roden, 1999, p. 6).
United States |
focus
points
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"Role
of correctional officer:
- Custodial
role
- Treatment
or helping role
- Crisis
management i.e. suicide attempts
- ·
Riot control and use of firearms
- Skilful
interpersonal relationships
- Administrative
(documentation)"
(Cheek
& Miller, 1983, p. 105).
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"Demanding
role due to:
- severe
overcrowding due to longer prison terms
- presence
of more violent prisons and mentally ill patients,
often undiagnosed and untreated"
(Cheek
& Miller, 1983, p. 105).
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"Stressful
aspects of role of correctional officer:
- role
conflict
- treatment/custody
dichotomy· administrative aspects of the
job
- threat
of physical harm
- shift
work
- lack
of training
- conflicting
orders
- violent
officer/inmate confrontations
- fear
of bodily harm
- lack
of autonomy in job performance
- rigid
rules and regulations"
(Cheek & Miller, 1983, p. 115).
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Focus Points
Reference
| Correctional
Service Canada (1994). Stats and Facts. |
Ottawa,CA:
Author
|
| Cheek, F.
E., & Miller, M.D.S. (1983). The experience |
of stress
for correctional officers: A double-bind theory
of correctional stress. Journal of Criminal Justice,
11,105-120.
|
| Polczyk-Przybyla,
M. & Gournay, K. (1999). Psychiatric |
nursing
in prison: The state of the art? Journal of Advanced
Nursing, 30 (4), 893-900.
|
| Roden, C.
(1999). Competence and Change: Linking |
business
focus to operational competence in the prison service.
The British Journal of Forensic Practice, 1 (3),
3-8.
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D - Forensic Corrections > Section D.2.0. Forensic Roles > Unit.D.2.3.
Correctional Officer
