Prison staff and work stress: The role of organizational and emotional influences

Previous research has well established the influence of demographics and work environment variables on the experience of job stress for correctional officers. However, the literature examining this phenomenon for other correctional staff is just beginning to emerge. Scant attention has also been previously devoted to the potential role of emotional issues, such as emotional dissonance, work environment variables of perceived organizational fairness, and feedback regarding job performance. The present research adds to this emerging literature through use of survey data from a sample of correctional staff employed in two prisons in Kentucky. Bivariate and multivariate analyses reveal that influences on perceived work stress are primarily organizational issues, including role conflict, emotional dissonance, and task control. Contrary to popular belief, the percent of one’s work time spent in contact with inmates reduces the experience of work stress.     

Extreme obesity and associated cardiovascular disease verified at autopsy: time trends over 3 decades

Extreme obesity is a strong predictor of premature death, but the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in morbidly obese populations is largely unknown. The aim of the present study was to find out whether there has been an increase in extreme obesity with body mass index 40.0 kg/m(2) or greater in medicolegal autopsy material in a known geographical area in Finland during a period of 3 decades and to examine the prevalence and time trends of associated cardiovascular disease in this obesity category. Autopsy reports of 235 cases examined in 1975 to 2006 were analyzed. The number of extremely obese individuals increased from 0.6% of the yearly amount of autopsies in the 1970s and 1980s to 2.8% and 2.5% in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The most frequent cause of death was cardiomyopathy or cardiomegaly (28.9%), followed by coronary heart disease (24.3%). Either coronary arteries were lesion-free, or only fatty streaks had been observed in 46.8% of the women and in 43.1% of the men. No significant changes in the average body mass index or severity of coronary atherosclerosis were observed. Younger individuals younger than 40 years began to appear more often after 1995. An increased trend of extreme obesity in a region where autopsy frequency is high may refer to a general increase of this obesity category. A large number of extremely obese people are resistant to coronary atherosclerosis, but cardiac hypertrophy may be accompanied by several mechanisms leading to sudden death even among the youngest extremely obese individuals.     

Chronic disease and disadvantage: the new politics of HIV infection

HIV infection is now perceived as the end stage of a chronic disease that is spreading most rapidly among blacks and Hispanics. The politics of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s were dominated by four interacting factors: fear and fascination; who had the disease and to whom it seemed to be spreading; the endemic problems of United States social policy; and the impact on policy of advances in scientific knowledge. This paper analyzes the political history of each of these factors and describes the dominant policies of the federal government and the states regarding HIV in the areas of surveillance, prevention, research, and financing. Four uncertainties will have a profound influence on the future politics of the HIV epidemic: how the states and the federal government will address the general problems of paying for the care of people with chronic diseases and providing access to care for the uninsured and the underinsured; the number and distribution of the sexual behaviors that transmit infection with HIV and the effectiveness of policies to persuade people to modify these behaviors; precisely who uses addictive drugs and the effectiveness of measures to change their behavior; and the natural history of the virus.     

The job in the joint: The impact of generation and gender on work stress in prison

Most of the existing literature on correctional officer work stress examined factors such as leadership, job environment, stress and job satisfaction. This study surveyed correctional officers and examined the impact of gender and generation on work stress. Results indicated that gender is a significant factor regarding work-related stress, more than any other demographic variable, although generation had a small impact on job stress. Generation and gender explained a miniscule portion of work stress variance. Further studies are needed to assess the overall relationship among demographic factors, non-static officer attributes, and job stress.     

The expenses of trustees, the right of indemnity and the role of taxation: making the equation work

The purpose of this article is to examine a Trustee's indemnityin respect of its expenses and liabilities incurred in connectionwith the Trust and how beneficiaries are able to have them scrutinized.This article considers, in particular, specific assessment proceduresthat have evolved in England, Jersey and Guernsey and, further,difficulties that have arisen in ensuring that any assessmentprocedure is consistent with the Trustee's right of indemnity.In Jersey, all these issues came to the fore in the case ofRe Internine Trust [2007] JCA 164 that is examined in particulardetail.     

加强人民调解工作维护基层社会稳定

一 人民调解是一项具有中国特色的社会主义法律制度,是中国社会主义民主法制建设的一项伟大创造,是我国民间纠纷解决机制中的一大特色.长期以来,人民调解被誉为"政法工作的第一道防线",并在国际上享有"东方一枝花"的美誉,显示出强大的生命力和独特的优越性.     

行政法的失衡与平衡

传统行政法的行政权与相对方权利结构通常处于失衡状态。行政法的失衡严重地制约着行政法公平与效率价值目标的全面实现 ,阻碍了行政法资源的最优配置以及社会利益的最大化。惟此 ,平衡论者主张现代行政法应是平衡法。本文认为 ,行政法的平衡是指行政权与相对方权利的结构性均衡 ,它主要通过围绕着行政法制约与激励机制而构建的、内部和谐一致的行政法律制度体系来实现 ,而这种制度体系的形成 ,必然要依赖于行政法主体的多方博弈。亦即 ,行政法的平衡是一种对策均衡     

Leave it at the gate: job stress and satisfaction in correctional staff

Though academic literature firmly establishes an inverse relationship between job stress and job satisfaction, global correctional studies fail to examine the extent of that affiliation on overall correctional job satisfaction. As such, this study uses a faceted approach to explore underlying relationships between organizational, job, and personal characteristics of correctional staff and causes of job stress and satisfaction. Using the Job Satisfaction Survey, nine aspects of job satisfaction are considered. The Work Stress Scale for Correctional Officers’ analyses of five areas of stress directly related to correctional environments. This study examines both uniform and nonuniform staff assigned to a minimum security prison. On average, staff scored well below the average American worker on the Job Satisfaction Survey. Job satisfaction was predicted exclusively by job characteristics or stressors, including the job itself, role conflict, and ambiguity, and the physical condition of the prison, while employee demographic variables and variables that measure healthy lifestyles (such as sleep and exercise) were not significant predictors. While job stress does predict a substantively significant portion of job satisfaction (21%), there is still room to improve prediction.     

Examining the effects of coping and social support on work and life stress among police officers

This study examined the effects of coping and social support on psychological distress in response to stressful work and life events among police officers. As part of a larger study investigating stress and coping, a sample of 233 police officers employed within a mid-sized northeastern law enforcement organization volunteered for this study. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that the main effect of life events was related to higher distress. Problem-focused coping resulted in a “reverse buffering effect”; the relationship between work events and distress was associated with higher distress. Seeking social support buffered the relationship between work events and distress, and emotion-focused coping buffered the relationship between life events and distress. The implications for developing and implementing stress management programs for police officers are discussed.     

Protecting integrity at the local level: the role of anticorruption and public management networks

This article argues that anti-corruption agencies at the local-level have been successful in a way that can be evaluated and emulated. A related contention is that corruption control is most effective when the central public integrity agency is part of both a local anticorruption network and a local public management network. Quite reasonably, the international anti-corruption project has focused most time and energy on advocating and assessing efforts made to ensure public integrity at the national level. Baseline studies by scholars and supra-national integrity nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) identify the form of corruption control (if any) adopted by the central government. Key considerations in assessing the status of national anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) are the ones mentioned in the introduction to this special issue: political independence, scope of authority, investigatory powers, position in the national legal/political network, durability, and use of effectiveness measures. Similar taxonomies are deployed by OLAF, Transparency International, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and by scholars on corruption control.     

Prison life: Television,sports, work,stress and insomnia in a remand prison

ObjectiveTo compare how prisoners complaining of insomnia and prisoners without sleep problems describe their daily activities, stress factors and the perceived reasons for their sleep quality in prison.Method102 randomly chosen remanded prisoners complaining of insomnia and 61 randomly chosen prisoners who did not complain of insomnia.ResultsPrisoners complaining of insomnia and those reporting good sleep differed significantly in their lifestyle in prison. A significantly higher percentage of the former than of the latter reported writing letters, diaries or a book in prison, as well as doing “arts-related” activities such as painting and listening to music. A significantly higher percentage of non insomniac prisoners than of prisoners complaining of insomnia practiced sports in prison, watched television, and spent their day discussing and meeting other detainees. PSQI and GHQ scores were significantly different between insomniac and non insomniac prisoners. Insomniac prisoners complained significantly more often than non-insomniac prisoners about sleep disturbances, in the first place by roommates, but also by guards. Activities in prison and stressful events were significant factors associated with the variable “insomnia versus no insomnia” Worries about medical problems (odds ratio: 12.9), being separated or divorced (odds ratio: 8.8), having experienced stressful events during the past week (odds ratio: 8.7), “art” activity (odds ratio: 8.6), and having a GHQ score > 10 (odds ratio: 7.7) had the highest odds ratios among the tested covariates. No sports in prison and some activities were also predictors of insomnia when entered separately or conditionally.ConclusionOur study provides arguments on how to alleviate insomnia in prison: changing conditions of imprisonment is of public health benefit. Increased opportunities to practice sports in prison as well as adequate care for medical problems and psychological support to reduce context related stress should be routinely offered to insomniac prisoners.     

Intimate partner violence and miscarriage: examination of the role of physical and psychological abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder

Despite research documenting high rates of violence during pregnancy, few studies have examined the impact of physical abuse, psychological abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on miscarriage. Secondary analysis of data collected by the Chicago Women's Health Risk Study permitted an exploration of the relationships among physical abuse, psychological abuse, PTSD, and miscarriage among 118 primarily ethnic minority women. The interaction between maximum severity of abuse and age provided the best multivariate predictor of miscarriage rate, accounting for 26.9% of the variance between live birth and miscarriage outcome. Mean scores of psychological abuse, physical violence, forced sex, and PTSD were significantly higher in the miscarriage group than in the live birth group. Women who experience physical violence and psychological abuse during pregnancy may be at greater risk for miscarriage. Prospective studies can confirm findings and determine underlying mechanisms. Routine screening for traumatic stress and PTSD may reduce rates of miscarriage.     

South African correctional official occupational stress: The role of psychological strengths

The objective of this study was to determine the dimensions of occupational stress of employees of the Department of Correctional Services in a management area of the Freestate Province of South Africa. A further objective was to investigate the role of psychological strengths, namely, work locus of control and affect, in the experience of occupational stress. A cross-sectional design was used. A simple random sample (n = 157) was taken. The correctional officer stress inventory was developed by means of factor analysis, and the work locus of control scale and the affectometer 2 were administered. Results indicated that an external locus of control and negative affect contribute to the experience of occupational stress. The most severe stressors for correctional officials have to do with a lack of resources.     

W(h)ither social work? Social work,social policy and law at an interface: Confronting the challenges and realising the potential in work with people needing care or services

Conclusion Social work asks of us all awkward questions, particularly since we are all members of the systems about which we are developing a critical knowledge base. This paper argues that social work, on the basis of a policy and political literacy, must engage in influencing higher levels of context. That is, it must engage with managers and policy makers about the objectives of welfare policy and the means by which they are to be realised — about issues of relevance to service users and to practice. This paper also suggests that other professional groups face the same awkward questions and must similarly engage in debates about the meaning of welfare, justice and rights. If social work in particular, and professional groups with which it interacts, lose the ability or willingness to question, they risk losing the empathy, values and practice skills which seek to counter the inequalities, internalised oppressions, alienation, and exclusion characteristic of contemporary social life. They risk identifying with the aggressor rather than using their position to promote an empowering difference.     

Traits and states at work: lure,risk and personality as predictors of occupational crime

This study linked individual characteristics to proximate factors operating in the moment of decision-making to predict occupational crime. We distinguished between people’s task-related conscience, as embodied by the Conscientiousness personality trait, and a more general moral conscience as embodied by the Honesty-Humility trait, hypothesizing that both traits are differentially related to the way situational characteristics, such as costs and benefits, are perceived. We operationalized the concept of ‘felt lure’ emanating from the benefits of a crime, defining it as an affective state that tempts people to commit a criminal act, and examined it next to perceived risk of sanction as a proximate predictor of criminal choice. In line with our predictions, Conscientiousness and Honesty-Humility significantly predicted occupational criminal choice as did felt lure and perceived risk. Specifically, perceived risk and felt lure mediated the relations between Conscientiousness and Honesty-Humility on the one hand, and occupational criminal choice on the other.