Recruitment and retention efforts: How changes in employment practices can improve safety in prison

• In Event: Policy Panel: Prison Culture and Climate: Modern Problems and Reforms

Abstract

Prisons often operate at a staffing shortage that can exacerbate issues of safety and security. In rural areas prisons can be operating at staffing levels of 50% or less at times leaving a sense of vulnerability for residents and staff at prisons. This was even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which prisons across the U.S. were operating at critically low staffing. In our community-engaged study we used a longitudinal survey to explore how changes in operations would impact feelings of safety and security for individuals living and working at one prison in the Midwest. Across the time points, staff believed that prison operational procedures (p<.01, F=5.07) and sense of professionalism (p<.001, F=16.0) were improving along with improvement in feelings of safety by both the incarcerated population (p<.01, F=5.3) and staff (p<.01, F=6.0). During the course of the study, the prison implemented innovations to improve training and recruitment to improve the number and quality of staff at the facility. When prisons are intentional with efforts to improve the perception of the profession and train staff, all individuals living and working at the facility feel better in the environment.

Authors

• Ashley Givens, University of Missouri

• Kelli Canada, University of Missouri

• Beth M. Huebner, Arizona State University

• Janet Garcia-Hallett, University of New Haven