Understanding Individual and Environmental Influences on Correctional Officer Safety

• In Event: Crime, Victimization, and the Responses to Inmate Crime in Prisons and Jails

Abstract

Prison inmates and officers are exposed to violence at higher rates than the general population, and exposure to violence has been linked to maladjustment among both of these populations. While there have been a number of studies of the correlates of inmate victimization and perceptions of safety, few researchers have examined the sources of correctional officer safety. Using data collected from over 1,800 prison officers working in 45 prisons, we examine the individual- and facility-level influences on objective and subjective measures of officer safety.

Authors

• Benjamin Steiner, University of Nebraska at Omaha

• John Wooldredge, University of Cincinnati