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The Experience Of Correctional Officers Who Have Witnessed Inmate Suicide, Amanda Michelle Burrell Mar 2024

The Experience Of Correctional Officers Who Have Witnessed Inmate Suicide, Amanda Michelle Burrell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Correctional officers are tasked with supervising individuals in custody. Their duties are plentiful and include responding to critical incidents, such as inmate suicide. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the experience of correctional officers in the United States who have witnessed inmate suicide. Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model of stress and coping was used to guide this study. Participants included eight correctional officers within the United States who have witnessed inmate suicide. These participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling. Virtual, semi-structured, audio recorded interviews were conducted with participants. Data were analyzed using Braun and …


Utilization Of An Opioid Antagonist And Comprehensive Medication-Assisted Treatment In Correctional Settings, Amanda K. Trent Jan 2023

Utilization Of An Opioid Antagonist And Comprehensive Medication-Assisted Treatment In Correctional Settings, Amanda K. Trent

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many people brought into the U.S. criminal justice system have substance abuse problems that served as the primary or secondary catalyst for offending. To treat substance use disorder in these individuals, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is being evaluated as a viable option in the criminal justice system. The purpose of this quantitative study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a MAT treatment program by reviewing existing data regarding offenders who were receiving the opioid antagonist naltrexone, other supplemental medications, and cognitive behavior therapy in a therapeutic community inside a correctional setting. Biological and social learning theoretical frameworks guided the study. Secondary …


Occupational Burnout Factors Among Correctional Mental Health Providers, Morgan Gruhot Jan 2023

Occupational Burnout Factors Among Correctional Mental Health Providers, Morgan Gruhot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Burnout rates of correctional employees are higher than employees in the general public. The purpose of this study was to identify how occupational factors impact burnout rates among correctional mental health workers. Grounded in the job-demands theoretical model, this study compared burnout rates among mental health staff within county jails and state prisons. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Occupational factors were measured using the Areas of Work life Survey and Pandemic Experience and Perception Survey. Data was analyzed using IBM SSPS software to address multiple a priori directional research questions. Research questions considered how occupational factors …


Workplace Bullying On Human Resources Management Performance In Correctional Facilities, Oliver Onyeka Ehiahuruike Jan 2023

Workplace Bullying On Human Resources Management Performance In Correctional Facilities, Oliver Onyeka Ehiahuruike

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractWorkplace bullying, as part of a hostile work environment, impacts human resources management (HRM) work outcome metrics, employees' attitudes toward their job, organization, and behavioral intentions that collectively affect organizational goals. Addressed in this study are the problems of workplace bullying of corrections employees, which negatively affect HRM outcome measures of turnover intention, organizational commitment, and employee job satisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to determine the relationship between workplace bullying and turnover intention, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction among corrections employees in Texas. Homans's social exchange and Bourdieu's social capital theories were used in this …


Workplace Bullying On Human Resources Management Performance In Correctional Facilities, Oliver Onyeka Ehiahuruike Jan 2023

Workplace Bullying On Human Resources Management Performance In Correctional Facilities, Oliver Onyeka Ehiahuruike

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractWorkplace bullying, as part of a hostile work environment, impacts human resources management (HRM) work outcome metrics, employees' attitudes toward their job, organization, and behavioral intentions that collectively affect organizational goals. Addressed in this study are the problems of workplace bullying of corrections employees, which negatively affect HRM outcome measures of turnover intention, organizational commitment, and employee job satisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to determine the relationship between workplace bullying and turnover intention, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction among corrections employees in Texas. Homans's social exchange and Bourdieu's social capital theories were used in this …


Workplace Bullying On Human Resources Management Performance In Correctional Facilities, Oliver Onyeka Ehiahuruike Jan 2023

Workplace Bullying On Human Resources Management Performance In Correctional Facilities, Oliver Onyeka Ehiahuruike

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractWorkplace bullying, as part of a hostile work environment, impacts human resources management (HRM) work outcome metrics, employees' attitudes toward their job, organization, and behavioral intentions that collectively affect organizational goals. Addressed in this study are the problems of workplace bullying of corrections employees, which negatively affect HRM outcome measures of turnover intention, organizational commitment, and employee job satisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to determine the relationship between workplace bullying and turnover intention, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction among corrections employees in Texas. Homans's social exchange and Bourdieu's social capital theories were used in this …


Occupational Burnout Factors Among Correctional Mental Health Providers, Morgan Gruhot Jan 2023

Occupational Burnout Factors Among Correctional Mental Health Providers, Morgan Gruhot

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Burnout rates of correctional employees are higher than employees in the general public. The purpose of this study was to identify how occupational factors impact burnout rates among correctional mental health workers. Grounded in the job-demands theoretical model, this study compared burnout rates among mental health staff within county jails and state prisons. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Occupational factors were measured using the Areas of Work life Survey and Pandemic Experience and Perception Survey. Data was analyzed using IBM SSPS software to address multiple a priori directional research questions. Research questions considered how occupational factors …


Workplace Violence, Trauma, And The Lived Experience Of Corrections Officers: A Phenomenological Study, Amanda Smith Jan 2022

Workplace Violence, Trauma, And The Lived Experience Of Corrections Officers: A Phenomenological Study, Amanda Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Corrections officers are required to ensure compliance from inmates, and sometimes they have to use force, resulting in violent encounters. Such incidents can be traumatic for those directly and indirectly involved. Previous studies examined the working conditions of jail staff, but their focus was not primarily directed toward corrections officers. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how everyday occurrences of violence associated with working in jails influence corrections officers’ physiological well-being. The theory of constructed emotions framed this study. Recruiting was conducted using a demographic and interest survey distributed through Facebook. Using purposive sampling, semi structured …


Interpersonal Conflict And Work-Related Stress Among Correctional Officers, Katarzyna Sowa-Lapinskas Jan 2021

Interpersonal Conflict And Work-Related Stress Among Correctional Officers, Katarzyna Sowa-Lapinskas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasingly, research has been conducted on the penal system, yet few researchers have focused on correctional staff. Due to the nature of their work, correctional officers (COs) experience a high degree of stress that is inmate related, occupational, organizational, and psycho–social. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the work experiences of COs in rural correctional facilities in Alaska and to learn how correctional staff perceive and mitigate work-related stress stemming from interpersonal conflict. The theoretical framework for this study was Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional theory of stress and coping. Data were collected using semistructured interviews conducted …


The Occupational Experiences Of Social Workers In Corrections, Lissette Lucero Lopez Jan 2021

The Occupational Experiences Of Social Workers In Corrections, Lissette Lucero Lopez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social workers who practice in corrections settings are faced with dilemmas, burnout, contrasting values between their profession and organization, and a lack of educational training. However, because of the small percentage of social workers that practice in the correctional setting, there is a gap in knowledge of the occupational experiences of these social workers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the occupational experiences of social workers in corrections using Niklas Luhmann’s system theory, which suggests that the world includes a system and its environment. Data were collected through phone interviews with 10 to 15 master’s level social …


Master’S Level Mental Health Counselor Experiences Working With Offenders In Correctional Settings, Jennifer Bernard Jan 2021

Master’S Level Mental Health Counselor Experiences Working With Offenders In Correctional Settings, Jennifer Bernard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Forensic mental health is considered a specialty at a doctoral level, yet a majority of mental health services in correctional settings are provided by master’s-level mental health counselors. These clinicians lack the specialized education, training, and experience needed to work with offenders in correctional settings. There is limited research on how master’s-level counselors experience providing mental health services in correctional settings and how they manage challenges. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the lived experiences of master’s-level mental health counselors working with offenders in correctional settings. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to facilitate an understanding of …


Exploring Probation Clients’ Perception Of The Officer-Client Relationship, Robert Lee Ausby Jan 2021

Exploring Probation Clients’ Perception Of The Officer-Client Relationship, Robert Lee Ausby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community supervision, commonly referred to as probation, is an alternative to jail and prison sentences which allow offenders to serve court-imposed sanctions in the community. The present study stemmed from Klockars’s theory of probation supervision which contains two concepts, (a) the organizational structure of probation, which has been studied repeatedly, and (b) the exchange strategy between the officer and client. The second concept has not been adequately explored. Previous literature has explored the perception that probation officers have of their clients. However, no study has explored the perception that clients have of their probation officers. The purpose of this study …


An Exploration Of The Lived Experience Of Transgender Individuals In Prison, Allison Radice Jan 2020

An Exploration Of The Lived Experience Of Transgender Individuals In Prison, Allison Radice

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences and challenges of transgender inmates through a Department of Corrections (DOC) in the Midwestern United States. These individuals are at a higher risk for self-harm actions and assault by other inmates. There are a unique set of issues and needs that current policies and procedures fail to address for transgender inmates. Participants were invited to tell their experiences of incarceration which provided a description of their transgender identity and their lived experience through DOC. The 11 participants described their lived experiences in DOC along with their thoughts, feelings, and themes as they related …


Transgender Protection And Best Practices In The Prison Setting, Jessica Renee Byrd Jan 2020

Transgender Protection And Best Practices In The Prison Setting, Jessica Renee Byrd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While the importance of equal protection for all offenders has been established, prison officials often do not provide adequate protection for or effectively address the unique needs of transgender inmates. In this qualitative action research study, prison officials' perceptions regarding their responsibility to provide protection and equal treatment to transgender offenders were evaluated as well as to what extent they are congruent with those stated in policies and procedures. The expectation was that linkages could be drawn between prison officials' level of knowledge regarding their responsibilities and the various types of maltreatment that transgender offenders experience as well as the …


Correctional Officers' Perspectives On Cellphone Contraband Introduction By Fellow Officers, Kamaria Taylor-Mccune Jan 2020

Correctional Officers' Perspectives On Cellphone Contraband Introduction By Fellow Officers, Kamaria Taylor-Mccune

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Occupational deviance in the form of cellphone contraband introduction poses a serious threat to the safe and secure operations of correctional facilities across the United States. More importantly, security staff members who participate in this form of unethical and illegal behavior undermine and impair both staff-inmate relationships as well as collegial relationships among officers. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of correctional officers who have experienced contraband introduction by fellow correctional officers and to understand the overall impact within the correctional environment. Based on ethical climate theory, this qualitative phenomenological study sought to describe the contributions …


Effects Of Psychiatric Hospital Closures On Local Jail Administrators, Correctional Staff, And Inmates, Mark Christian Lasko Jan 2019

Effects Of Psychiatric Hospital Closures On Local Jail Administrators, Correctional Staff, And Inmates, Mark Christian Lasko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A series of psychiatric hospital closures has led to a movement of care for individuals with mental illness from state-run facilities to managed care centers. Many of the individuals who no longer reside in psychiatric hospitals have become ensnared in the criminal justice system. Correctional facilities have an increased burden to care for the needs of the mentally ill, but lack the training and facilities to do so adequately. In this study, the lived experiences of correctional staff who have experienced the process of a hospital closure were examined. Psychiatric rehabilitation and gatekeeper theories served as the theoretical framework for …


A Case Study Of Overcrowding In A County Jail In The Southeast United States, Marquice Robinson Jan 2018

A Case Study Of Overcrowding In A County Jail In The Southeast United States, Marquice Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For the past several decades, the county jail in a large metropolitan city in the southeast United States has been overcrowded, which has resulted in violence within the jail, excessive costs to the Sheriff's Office, and a requirement of Federal oversight of the jail from 2005 to 2015. In spite of these events, little is understood about why jail overcrowding is prevalent in the county and what impacts overcrowding may have on the communities around the jail. Using Shaw and McKay's social disorganization theory as the foundation, the purpose of this case study was to understand the unique circumstances around …


Incarceration Of Nonviolent Offenders At The High Court In Oyo State, Nigeria, Olugbenga Rotimi Akanji Jan 2018

Incarceration Of Nonviolent Offenders At The High Court In Oyo State, Nigeria, Olugbenga Rotimi Akanji

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The nonuse of community correction in the Nigeria criminal justice system has led to increased recidivism, contributed to prison congestion, introduced the risk of prison victimization, and lacked the provision of a rehabilitative structure for nonviolent offenders. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to explore Nigerian judges' use of alternatives to incarcerations for nonviolent offenders. Dolinko retributive punishment theory provided the theoretical framework for this study. Ten participant judges comprised the study sample from a purposeful and criterion random sampling method. Data were collected from participants through structured interviews and were coded manually, sorted, and analyzed using the …


Predictors Of Job Satisfaction Among County Jail Correctional Officers, Richara Simmons Jan 2017

Predictors Of Job Satisfaction Among County Jail Correctional Officers, Richara Simmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job satisfaction among jail correctional officers is important because it ensures the continuity of officers who can promote and maintain a safe environment inside the jail for all staff and inmates. Most job satisfaction studies on correctional officers, however, are focused on prison officers and not county jail officers. The purpose of this correlational study was to test and extend Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene theory by exploring job satisfaction and motivation among jail correctional officers in Miami-Dade Florida. Survey data were collected from 149 correctional officers using Specter's (1994) Job Satisfaction Survey. Data were analyzed through correlational and multiple regression analyses. Findings …


Best Practices For Controlling Tuberculosis - Training In Correctional Facilities: A Mixed Methods Evaluation, Ellen Reynolds Murray Jan 2016

Best Practices For Controlling Tuberculosis - Training In Correctional Facilities: A Mixed Methods Evaluation, Ellen Reynolds Murray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the literature, identifying and treating tuberculosis (TB) in correctional facilities have been problematic for the inmates and also for the communities into which inmates are released. The importance of training those who can identify this disease early into incarceration is vital to halt the transmission. Although some training has been done by public health authorities for corrections, there is little to no evaluation of such training. The aim of this mixed methods retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a training to control TB in correctional facilities. The Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center (SNTC) conducted 12 trainings between …


Varying Levels Of Morality Awareness In Corrections Officers, William L. Hanna Jan 2015

Varying Levels Of Morality Awareness In Corrections Officers, William L. Hanna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Morality has been a focus in criminal justice with recent events involving officers. This quantitative study offered research in the criminal justice field regarding the moral awareness of corrections officers. The main research question investigated the relationship between the security level of the prison unit in which a corrections officer works and his or her level of morality awareness. The study surveyed corrections officers of prison units in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitations and Corrections and focused on morality awareness of corrections officers. The independent variable was the security level of the prison unit worked in. The dependent variables were …


The Deterrent Effect Of Disciplinary Segregation On Prison Inmate Misconduct, Joseph William Lucas Jan 2015

The Deterrent Effect Of Disciplinary Segregation On Prison Inmate Misconduct, Joseph William Lucas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although a widely used practice, it was previously unknown whether disciplinary segregation is actually effective at modifying prison behavior. This quantitative, retrospective observational study tested deterrence theory and explored the effectiveness of disciplinary segregation in deterring subsequent prison inmate misconduct among those subjected to it (N = 228). It compared a cohort of male inmates incarcerated by the Oregon Department of Corrections who had spent time in disciplinary segregation in 2011 and/or 2012 with a comparison cohort who had not spent any time in disciplinary segregation. Three models were tested, each with the outcome variable operationalized in a different way: …