ABSTRACT Conceptually, organizational justice has four dimensions, and they are informational, interpersonal, procedural, and distributive. The literature, however, is unclear how these dimensions of organizational justice are related to one another and to salient work outcomes, such as emotional exhaustion, which is a key dimension of job burnout. The current study proposed and tested a path model where informational and interpersonal justice were related to procedural and distributive justice, and procedural justice was related to distributive justice; in turn, procedural and distributive justice were associated with emotional exhaustion. This preliminary study relied on data from a survey of 322 correctional staff. Based on multivariate analyses using Ordinary Least Squares regression, the proposed model was largely supported.

ABSTRACT Probation officer-client meetings discuss progress toward court-ordered sanctions, but the meeting quality remains deficient in recognizing causes or reinforcers of observable behaviors tailored to individual offenders. This study is among the first to empirically review the utility of a personality inventory called PRINT with clients on active probation. Probation officer perceptions (n = 35) and correlates of PRINT typologies of 245 clients were explored. PRINT was the most useful to accurately identify client triggers and help offenders understand shadow behaviors with the potential to address these during client meetings to increase meeting quality. PRINT was less useful to identify technical violations and motivate offenders. Of the nine typologies, the “Find Meaning” major typology was the least prevalent. The “Safety/Security” and the “Needed/Appreciated” groups were more likely to commit a new crime than the other groups, but less likely to use drugs. Individuals in the “Independent” typology were more likely to use drugs than other groups. Implications for probation supervision are discussed.

ABSTRACT Over the past decade, scholars and activists have called for reforms to and reductions in the practice of restrictive housing. This study evaluates a pilot program that was implemented in a women’s state prison in which those sent to segregation following a disciplinary infraction participated in a one-time cognitive-behavioral intervention. Propensity score matching was used to reduce observable selection bias between program participants and the comparison pool. The findings revealed program participants did not significantly differ from the comparison group in either the occurrence or frequency of new institutional misconduct. Qualitative feedback received from participants, non-participants, and staff was analyzed in an attempt to identify explanations for the null results. Implications of the findings and recommendations for improving the program are discussed.

ABSTRACT This study examined the mediating role of person – environment fit in the relationships of perceived organizational support and proactive personality on contextual performance. A total of 171 officers in correctional facilities in Nusakambangan Island returned usable questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS 4. Results showed that person – environment fit partially mediated the influence of perceived organizational support and proactive personality on contextual performance. This study contributes to the existing literature by investigating and predicting the mediating role of person – environment fit which was little highlighted by previous research. The study is expected to provide insight, evidence, and knowledge for academics, HR managers, and correctional policymakers that improving officer contextual performance, improving organizational support, and attracting and retaining officers with proactive personalities can increase opportunities for organizations to build strong human resources and in turn contribute to contextual performance that can improve the achievement of organizational effectiveness.

ABSTRACT Correctional officer recruits (CORs) must complete the correctional training program (CTP) mandated by Correctional Service Canada (CSC), in preparation for the plethora of occupational responsibilities they will be tasked with in their occupational role of correctional officer (CO). During training, recruits continue to conceive ideas about their career trajectories. Previous research exploring CO or COR motivations has focused largely on occupational entry and their underlying intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Little empirical evidence examines the general occupational directions or desires of CORs exiting CTP, particularly their interest in future Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT) membership. The current study relies on data from interviews with 36 CORs who expressed interest in CERT membership before employment at a federal penitentiary. Findings suggest that these CORs are drawn to CERT membership due to previous occupational interests, media representations of CERT/ERT, but also experience challenges in acquiring membership related to CERT culture, social relationships, and gender. We conclude the article with considerations for recruitment and retention of COs as it relates to CERT membership for Canadian federal correctional services.

ABSTRACT The current study utilizes a dataset of 1,300 individuals who have been released from a Pennsylvania county jail between 2015 to 2017 to assess the competing risks of returning to jail on a probation violation versus committing a new offense. The study also examines differences between males and females. The findings suggest that while traditional predictors of recidivism help to explain male behavior, they do not allow for an understanding of women’s recidivism. Future research must continue to explore gender-specific factors to provide more clarity on the experiences of men and women upon release.

ABSTRACT Criminal justice agencies increasingly recruit new personnel online using social media. This paper analyzes correctional officer recruitment videos appearing on YouTube. Engaging with literature on social media representations and authenticity, we examine the content and the themes appearing in these videos. We use a grounded theory approach to data analysis accompanied by a semiotic reading of these video texts. We argue that these video representations convey a sense of fantastical authenticity, meaning there is a mythical or embellished dimension to these depictions and accounts. We also find that these videos communicate establishment narratives about prisons and prison work. We also situate our analysis in broader literature on social media use and communications by criminal justice agencies. We conclude with reflections on what this means for understanding representations of criminal justice as well as social media use by prison authorities in North America.

ABSTRACT In 2016, the Minnesota Department of Corrections implemented the Minnesota Screening Tool Assessing Recidivism Risk 2.0 (MnSTARR 2.0), a fully-automated, gender-specific instrument that predicts multiple types of recidivism. Using multiple performance metrics, this study externally validates the MnSTARR 2.0 on a sample of 8,997 people released from Minnesota prisons. The results show that while the MnSTARR 2.0 overestimated risk for felony and nonviolent recidivism, it achieved adequate predictive discrimination, with an average area under the curve (AUC) of 0.73 for males and 0.74 for females. The MnSTARR 2.0 produced predictions that were generally consistent with the observed recidivism outcomes by race/ethnicity, and the amount of “shrinkage” from the internal validation sample to the external validation sample was minimal. The MnSTARR 2.0 significantly outperformed the LS/CMI on a sub-sample of individuals who received both assessments, which provides additional evidence that customized instruments tend to perform better than off-the-shelf tools that are designed to be used with a variety of correctional populations.

ABSTRACT In the course of their duties, correctional employees face exposure to a variety of potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs). Recent research points to an array of consequences of work experiences on the psychological well-being of correctional staff, including the development of mental health disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, general anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder. Drawing on an open-ended survey response among provincial and territorial correctional employees (n = 269) in Canada, we consider the experiences of correctional employees who self-report an anxiety, mood, or other mental health disorder, with a particular focus on how such experiences are tied to work conditions and occupational environments. Findings demonstrate that, for many, mental health struggles are intimately tied to both operational and organizational factors – the former referring to job duties and the latter referring to social relations of work. How mental health status is navigated is intimately shaped by occupational norms and meanings tied to mental health, namely stigma. Despite the perceived link between work and mental health outcomes, mental health suffering is understood and responded to as a private problem – with fallout on the personal lives and welfare of staff. We discuss the implications of training paradigms and general understandings of mental health responsibility.

According to the most recent national estimates, nearly 2.6 million children have an incarcerated parent (Glaze & Maruschak, 2008). Children with incarcerated parents are more likely to face height...