The health and Well being of prison
officers
King's Bench Prison in London as drawn by Augustus Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson for Rudolph
Ackermann's Microcosm of London. (1808-11)
Aims and Objectives
 Provide a brief history of
prisons and their portrayal
through the media
 Outline the basic training,
and the job role of a prison
officer
 Detail the issues, both
psychological and physical
that a prison officer will
face.
(That's the plan
anyway!)
Prisons through the ages – Punishment to Rehabilitation.
Oubliettes to dungeons- Horrible punishment or Gothic fairy tale?
- Most ‘dungeons’ are exaggerated for the public – They were probably store rooms
Prisons used as holding places before punishment was decided
-execution
-flogging
-transportation
Tower of London etc.....
Most long term prisoners were political - You were either released, or ‘punished’
Debtors prison
Debtors sent to prison on the whim of their creditors
-No release until debt paid- No earning money in prison
-Majority of prisoners in 1700-1800’s
-Charles Dickens wrote extensively on the affect of Debtors prison due to his father
1865 Prisons Act ‘hard bed, hard board and hard labour‘
Pointless labour as punishment
-tread wheels, shot drill – Exhausting physical labour with no purpose
Labour Gangs, public work
-Prisoners used to work dangerous and physically demanding jobs
A timeline of Reform
1787 Transportation to Australia started
1800 75% of all crimes are 'petty theft‘
1815 Gaolers paid – No longer having to rely on money from prisoners
1820s The 'Bloody Code' Over 200 offences could be punished by hanging
1823 Gaol Act Prisons must be healthy, and that men and women prisoners
are to be kept separate
1840 The 'Bloody Code' Only 5 crimes could now be punished by hanging
1854 Reformatory School Reform Schools are set up for children to stop them
from committing crime again, and to teach them a trade
1857 Transportation stopped
1869 Imprisonment for Debt stopped
1877 National Prison Service – All prisons now controlled by the government
1900 Only 2 crimes now punishable by hanging
1964 Last men hanged for murder in the UK
1965 Death penalty abolished for murder
20th Century prisons
1895 Gladstone report – “prisoners should leave as better people”
Labour with no purpose replaced with learning a trade
Prisoners allowed to earn a wage to support them on release
Clothes and haircuts allowed, uniforms and shaven heads phased out
Better facilities for visiting relatives/friends
Education and libraries in all prisons
Incentives and earned privilege schemes.
ADX Colorado
“A clean version of hell”
Everything in the prison is made from poured concrete beds, chairs and desks
Prisoners spend entire sentences in solitary confinement
staff of 347 people
beds for 490 inmates
houses 404 inmates
The clearest example of a dramatic shift back to punishment, not reform.
Lack of liberty is no longer the punishment – total lack of interaction and social
deprivation.
Pelican Bay
‘Super max’ prison (SHU)
Design capacity- 2280
Current population- 3461
Current number of staff- 1548 (492 of which are ‘support’) (2006/2007)
SHU implements 23 hour solitary lockdown
Prisoners allowed 1 hour outside cells
TV and radio allowed
 Feb 2000 riot between 200 inmates led to real bullets being used, and 1
inmate killed.
Madrid vs. Gomez – 3600 inmates complained of cruel and unusual
punishment
Vaughn Dortch- Prisoner forced into boiling water after refusing to bathe
The Stanford Prison Experiment
Students randomly assigned to guard or prisoner
“Prisoners” were arrested on a quiet Sunday and driven away by a cop car –
Blindfolded, stripped and deloused before being given a paper smock, prison
number and heavy ankle chain.
“Guards” were given uniforms, reflective glasses, whistles and
Clubs – They were not given training or told how to act, it was
completely up to them.
2nd day – Riot broke out – All “guards” were called in to quash
Rebellion
Privilege cells, food shortages, psychological abuse and physical punishments
all soon followed
2 week experiment called off after 6 days.
Prison Officer Assessment – RAD (Recruitment Assessment Day)
Documentation check and vetting.
Short medical – eyesight, weight/height, Blood Pressure test (fail BP- Not
allowed to run fitness test – A nod to cardiovascular disease research?)
Fitness test- bleep test, basic agility (running around cones), Dyna Grip, Shield
test.
Role Plays- 4, 10 minute role plays based on situations “ a prison officer may
encounter”
-’crooked’ officers
-disruptive prisoners
-bullying and self harming
-visitors issues
-depression and isolation
Passed? Congratulations! You can now train in a prison.
Now what?
Week 1 – Establishment Induction.
Meet and greet fellow staff, and shadow officers and managers to see how things
are run.
Week 2 – 7 - Training centre
Classroom learning
Scenario training
Control and Restraint
Team building
Includes formal assessment
 Week 8- ‘Establishment based training’
Care vs. Custody
• Contribute effectively to the safe
and secure custody of Prisoners.
• Prepare reports as required in a
timely manner
• Follow set procedures for dealing
with Prisoner applications
• Comply with audit requirements
• Apply authorised control and
restraint procedures where
appropriate
• Encourage Prisoners to deal with
personal challenges through
offending behaviour programmes
• Uphold respect for Prisoners,
their property, rights and dignity
• Act as Personal Officer to a group
of Prisoners
http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/careersandjobs/becomingaprisonofficer/prisonofficer
jobdescription/
The Usual Suspects...
Role ambiguity
Role overload
Training
Management styles/ accountability/feedback
Shift patterns and working hours
Work Life balance
The inside story
P.O’s have more than the usual job stressors to deal with...
Locks....Locks....And more locks! – What other environment is akin to a prison?
Violence against staff is not uncommon –
121% increase in assaults on female prison officers since 2000, with the number rising from
232 to 513.
Male prisons saw a 58% increase in attacks on officers, up from 1,767 in 2000 to 2,804 in
2006.
They also suffer from a less than favourable reputation in society
‘Hardcore’ culture
Public ignorance
Media bias, and press storms.
"should review its capability to carry out night time clinical observations of prisoners in
the Healthcare Centre".
“inadequate reception health screen, incomplete communication of Stephen's
behaviour at court and a poorly prepared physical environment, meant little was
done to safeguard him."
They clearly have a duty of care towards every prisoner, and they clearly failed in
Stephen's case."
STRESS!!
A logical conclusion?
Burnout
- Emotional regulation depersonalises staff
-Burnout is shown to be a product of the environment, not personal
characteristics
 Unable to regulate emotions – Ennui and apathy set in
Lowered job satisfaction- Job roles become more stressful- Stress and Burnout
 High social support is a vital component to lowering stress levels....
But....
Presence of stressors in the workplace can lead to decrease in altruistic
behaviour towards colleagues
Environment and Stress
Noise
-Angry and stressed people will become significantly more aggressive when
subjected to uncontrollable noise (Donnerstein and Wilson 76)
Heat
-’Long hot summer effect’ – The hotter the temperature, the more aggressive
people become
Crowding
-Intensifies reactions, causes stimulus overload, and removes perceived control
over situations.
-As of 30 June 2009, 86 prison establishments in England and Wales (61% of the
estate) were overcrowded. In 13 of these establishments the population was at
least 150% of the CNA figure.
Psychosocial work environment and Sickness (Rugulies et al 2007)
Emotional Demands
Low support from supervisors
Role conflict
High client contact
Exposure to violence and threats
All mediating factors to increasing sickness absence.
Coping Strategies
Psychological
-Counselling / talking it through
--Internal/ external locus of control
--Personality types
Do type A’s actively search for stress?
Social
-Perpetuating the lad culture through drinking
Strengthens work relationships...weakens arteries
-Drugs ( Medication or otherwise?)
-Junk food , binge eating, and the obesity culture
-Cathartic violence (video games/ violent sports)
Cardio Vascular Disease
Stress responses leading to increased blood pressure
Suppression of immune system
inhibition of growth
damage to muscle tissue
...all symptoms of long term exposure to stress hormones
Coping styles that include drink and fatty foods add cholesterol and fats to the
body and bloodstream.
A job full of stressors + Fatty Foods + More stress +drink
= Heart attack and stroke likelihood increased dramatically
Work/Life balance
-Physically separated partners suffer loss of sleep and increase in anxiety
-Sleep is a buffer against stress and discomfort
-Sleep deprivation leads to decrease in concentration, efficiency and swings in
mood
-Is it possible to switch off?
“Is there a doctor in the house?”
-Social and physical activities allow for time to recover from the effort of the day
- Recovery allows for reduced fatigue and greater well- being
Depression and PTSD
Burnout and emotional dissonance exacerbated by ongoing job stress
-Depression characterised by ennui and apathy
Stress in decision authority
psychological demands
job insecurity
social support from superior and co-workers
– All positively correlated to formation of depression
Acute stress disorder caused by violent trauma
-Prisoner attacks on guards are not rare – Isolated but violent experiences
-Psychological affect strengthens and drives forward cyclical relationship between
stress and depression
-Alters perceptions of emotion and moral direction
Occupational Health resources
Staff Care and Welfare teams for stress
 Occupational Health Medical Adviser (OHMA) on site (But only in
some prisons)
 Health checks and NHS referrals
...Only implemented in the last few decades.
In Summary...
Prisons have gone through many dramatic shifts, and will
continue to do so in the future
Media representations of prisons may form the only experience
we ever have – But they cannot be trusted
Prison officers are subject to not only the usual job stressors, but
the unique issues caused by the nature of their work
Health and well being is vital for quality of life, but is being
adversely affected by the work we do.
References
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Donnerstein, E., Wilson, D. (1976) Effects of Noise and Perceived Control on Ongoing and
Subsequent Aggressive Behaviour. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 34 (5) 774781
Diamond, L., Hicks, A., Otter-Henderson, K. (2008) Every time you go away: Changes in
Affect, Behaviour, and Physiology Associated With Travel-Related Separations From Romantic
Partners. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 95 (2) 385-403
Holmes, S., MacInnes, D. (2003) Contributors to stress among Prison Service staff. The British
journal of forensic practice 5 (2) 16-24
Driskell, J., Salas, E., Johnston, J. (1999) Does stress lead to a loss of team perspective? Group
dynamics: Theory, Research and Practice 3 (4) 291-302
Wang, J., Patten, S. (2001) Perceived Work Stress and Major Depression in the Canadian
Employed Population, 20-49 Years Old. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 6 (4) 283289
Rugulies, R., Christensen, K., Borritz, M., Villadsen, E., Bultmann. U., Kristensen, T (2007) The
contribution of the psychosocial work environment to sickness absence in human service
workers: Results of a 3 yr follow up study. Work and stress 21 (4) 293-311
Jex, s., Adams, G., Bachrach, D., Sorenson, S. (2003) The impact of situational constraints,
role stressors and commitment on employee altruism. Journal of occupational health
psychology 8 (3) 171-180
And some more...
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Schmidt, K., Neubach, B., Heuer,H. (2007) Self control demands, cognitive control deficits, and
burnout. Work and stress 21 (2) 142-154
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Gerstein, L., Topp, C., Correll, G. (1987) The role of the environment and person when
predicting burnout among correctional personnel. Criminal justice and behaviour 14 (3) 352369
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Owen, S. (2006) Occupational stress among correctional supervisors. The prison Journal 86 (2)
164-181
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Hamilton, N., Catley, D., Karlson, C.(2007) Sleep and the Affective Response to Stress and Pain.
Health psychology 26 (3) 288-295