Insights into the Role of a Correctional Officer- Challenges and Rewards in Criminal Justice
Corrections Officers’ Challenges
Corrections officers are responsible for ensuring security and order within prisons and jails. One of the main functions of the officers is to ensure prisoners are securely confined within prison walls. The officers oversee several functions, including monitoring the activities of convicts to ensure staff and other incarcerated individuals are secure. However, while delivering these functions, corrections officers face multiple challenges that affect their wellness and the efficiency and overall functioning of the correctional facilities.
Issues
One of the leading challenges corrections officers face is the stress resulting from their functions. The prison as an organization keeps individuals against their will, with constant monitoring, and this is a recipe for stress for the incarcerated individuals. The stress extends to prison officers since, while on duty, they are equally required to stay around and keep convicts in line (Vickovic & Morrow, 2019). Besides, the lack of positive feedback in correction facilities weighs correction officers down. Correction officers stay in one facility for a considerable time and are likely to notice convicts who leave jail only to re-offend and come back. Such an occurrence makes correction officers feel that their jobs are not impactful since convicts do not reform. Another trigger for stress among prison officers is the burnout associated with the job. To make extra income, some prison officers prefer to work overtime, which means staying around not-so-nice people for up to 16 hours daily (Vickovic & Morrow, 2019). Working overtime exacerbates burnout, and some officers end up taking sick leave.
Moreover, individual corrections officers decry staff shortages, which is another challenge facing them individually. Reports by corrections officers show that the staff shortage problem is so severe that it impedes the officers’ functions. In one such report, a corrections officer reports that Mendota correctional facility in California faced acute staff shortages once there was insufficient staff to respond to a suicide incident by one of the inmates in 2021 (Trautman, 2022). A non-correctional officer had to respond to the incident through augmentation, which allows non-correctional employees such as healthcare providers and administrators to take up security roles. Understaffing compromises corrections officers’ roles since they take on more workloads to ensure the corrections facilities are running smoothly.
Another challenge facing individual corrections officers is the threat to their security. Workplace violence often exposes employees to burnout and low motivation, and the situation is not different in corrections facilities (Isenhardt & Hostettler, 2016). The nature of corrections facilities as a workplace predisposes correction officers to violence for various reasons. First, inmates endure many deprivations, which is a risk factor for violent behavior (Isenhardt & Hostettler, 2016). The environment is often in a constant state of tension since it is not clear when inmates may turn violent as a way of advancing their perceived rights. Inmates use such opportunities to victimize officers they feel may have mistreated them in the past. With a low sense of security and the fear of victimization, corrections officers exhibit burnout, low job satisfaction, and job-related stress. The situation in corrections facilities may be likened to a toxic workplace where clients are so powerful that they can threaten employees.
Satisfactions
Despite the challenges in correction facilities, correction officers also leverage job satisfaction to keep going. One of the satisfactions is the opportunity to influence change (Yang et al., 2011). As correction officers interact with inmates, they provide support, guidance, and rehabilitation encouragement, hoping to make them better society members once they leave prison. Second, working in a corrections facility bolsters teamwork since the officers work in groups (Yang et al., 2011). A jail is a relatively dangerous environment, and the officers must work in groups to ensure their security. The camaraderie spirit exhibited in the corrections facilities’ environment goes a long way to help the officers become better team workers, as they reap the benefits of social interaction.
Additionally, the corrections job is stable and secure, providing regular compensation and benefits and improving officers’ sense of financial security. Unlike some jobs in which employees experience delayed salary payments, that is not the case in a structured corrections environment, as employees receive their pay on time. Also, those working as corrections officers have opportunities for career advancement (Yang et al., 2011). Just like regular police, corrections officers can rise through the ranks, an opportunity for professional and personal growth.
Reflection
The insights from the coursework have equipped me with knowledge of how different criminal justice organizations operate. One key highlight I identified is the need for collaborative synergies between stakeholders in the criminal justice system. Just like law enforcers may collaborate with community members, correction officers may collaborate with inmates to ensure security and address related threats in the corrections facility environment.
Conclusion
In summary, corrections officers face individual challenges that are typical of working in the criminal justice system. One of the challenges is the mental stress characterized by working with confined and, to some extent, frustrated inmates. Some of the inmates re-offend after leaving prison, making officers question if their jobs are impactful. Also, corrections officer shortages are common, and the available officers are required to work overtime, leading to burnout. Finally, the constant fear of violence and victimization from inmates exacerbates burnout and low job satisfaction. However, the job is stable, and the officers can rest assured of financial stability and opportunities for career advancement and personal growth.
References
Isenhardt, A., & Hostettler, U. (2016). Inmate Violence and Correctional Staff Burnout. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 35(1-2), 088626051668115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260516681156
Trautman, L. (2022). Addressing staffing challenges in federal prisons. Austin: Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Vickovic, S. G., & Morrow, W. J. (2019). Examining the Influence of Work-Family Conflict on Job Stress, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment Among Correctional Officers. Criminal Justice Review, 45(1), 073401681986309. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734016819863099
Yang, S. B., Brown, G. C., & Moon, B. (2011). Factors leading to corrections officers’ job satisfaction. Public Personnel Management, 40(4), 359-369.
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Question 
Write an 825-word paper on present-day challenges for criminal justice administrators.
Select a functional role in one of the three major areas of criminal justice administration—police, courts, or corrections—and describe what you consider the major issues and satisfactions of that particular role. Has this course helped prepare you? If not, what might improve the course?
Insights into the Role of a Correctional Officer- Challenges and Rewards in Criminal Justice
Include at least four peer-reviewed references.
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.