Posted: September 7th, 2024

Occupational Culture in the Corrections System

Why is important to understand how occupational culture impacts on the work of prison and prison and probation staff? Assignment help – Discuss in relation to the similarities and differences between the two organisations.

no more or less 2000 word , the count of words exactly 2000 word without the sources.

Occupational Culture in the corrections system
Occupational culture is the strategy and structure used by an organization to support their beliefs. A robust professional culture is vital to the functioning of any establishment as it ensures that goals are met, the image of the organization is upheld, and the people involved do not deviate from set standards. This same culture is present in the corrections system, which is an understudied area. This paper is set to discuss the importance of understanding occupational cultures and how they affect prison and probation officers. Through understanding the differences and similarities in the roles of the two, the impact of culture will explain their behavior while at work. Hopefully, the organizational culture in place within the corrections departments will show how probation and prison officers operate to ensure the beliefs and values set by the justice system are communicated and implemented hence shaping the perceptions of ex-convicts and inmates. Understanding the impact of occupational culture can aid in making significant changes and understanding underlying problems.
To understand the occupational culture of probation and prison officers, it is essential first to understand their roles. Their role is defined as someone who takes responsibility to oversee an offender awaiting trial, serving their time in jail, or who has been released from prison. Probation officers give active supervision to ex-convicts or those awaiting trial. Since the notion of probation began in 1841, the numbers have steadily grown, and by the start of the 21st Century, there were almost four million adult women and men in probation (Shearer & King 2004, p.3). The probation officers determine what form of reform is likely to work to rehabilitate the relevant individual. Prison officers, on the other hand, are in charge of maintaining security by preventing escapes, assaults, or disturbances. They keep tabs on prisoners, knowing where they are at all times. In general, probation and prison officers’ occupational culture involves structures and strategies to handle and reform criminals.
Culture influences the work of prison and probation officers on a large scale to the extent that dilemmas may occur. These dilemmas are an indicator that new strategies need to be implemented for straightforward decisions to take place. It is fair to agree that all organizations have culture and that these beliefs can be a drawback in times where change is necessary, or they can be a stronghold that an organization can stand by (Mawby Worral 2011, p.5). Once one understands that correction officers are supposed to play both good and bad guys, it gets a bit confusing. How are correction officers supposed to rehabilitate and, at the same time, maintain security? Probation officers are expected to think the best of released inmates and ensure they are staying away from danger (Treven 2008, p.35). Prison officers are supposed to work with discretion and, at the same time, exhibit emotional and physical strength. If at all anything, understanding the occupational culture of these two fields needs in-depth analysis to decipher the reasons behind the notions that drive these managing officers.
For the probations officer, occupational cultures may vary, but they all work towards achieving positive outcomes. First of all, understanding why a probation officer chose the career gives a hint to their occupational culture. According to Mawby & Worral, 2011, there are three groupings of probation officers: Lifers, second careerists, and offender managers. Lifers had an interest in the job from a tender age while second careerists discovered their interests along the way, and offender managers were looking for status and security. Despite their background most probation officers show a significant commitment to working with offenders in the community (Martin 2014, p.90). To survive in this organizational culture one has to be self-driven no matter their reasons for taking up the career. For some probation officers, the strategies to supervise offenders may require them to visit the homes or workplaces of the offenders. It is also a risky career since the officers expose themselves to dangers they may not be aware of while interacting with the released offenders. This is an area that could use re-strategizing to ensure that the officers and their families are protected.
Due to the semi-voluntary nature of probation officers, it was found that the occupational culture surrounding the task was more akin to adapting to new circumstances and forming new ideas to achieve the desired outcomes (Burke et al. 2017, p.198). New and enhanced roles are always coming up within the department, which makes the culture of probation officers more flexible. With probation officers, they tend to try to understand their clients and the nature of their case. Based on their conviction, the offender manager will decide on the proper steps for rehabilitation. The flexibility of this occupational culture allows for changes where necessary (Josi 1998, p.127). Rehabilitation is more likely to occur during probation than in prison since the caseworkers with ex-convicts or suspected criminals are given directives to focus more on recovery than punishments. Understanding such an impact may show the need for some prison officers to be given rehabilitation roles to play. This is to ensure that prisoners are given a head start on what is expected of them once they are released back to society.
Prison officers, on the other hand, tend to work in a culture that is more rigid. The inability to be flexible is determined by inmate culture, which is described as a psychological pressure cooker whose only chance at release is through a psychological withdrawal (Johnson 2007, p.33). The environment of the prison officer greatly influences their organizational cultures as they are in a setting where the prisoners are busy looking for new ways to entertain themselves – even if it means through malicious activities (Crewe et al. 2011, p.105). In the prison setting, officers are not supposed to deviate from the system. Equality cannot be permitted by the authority since it may endanger the lives of prisoners. Inmates and prisoners are not allowed to socialize apart from brief and straightforward dialogues. Without the use of coercive power, the prison officer has no authority over the inmate. It is as if prisoners need to be subdued in order to comply with rules.
Once the inmate culture is understood, it is easy to determine what makes prison officers react to their surroundings. Similar to how probation officers try to understand their clients, prison officers also try to determine the inmate culture but on a more generalized scale. Prison officers usually have a code of behavior that governs how they act (Johnson 2007, p.34. This code allows for officers to perform their work cohesively even when they are not together. The inmate culture is characterized by prisoners who try to spot the lone officer and indulge him/her in corruption or illegal activity. The set of rules governing prison officers enlightens them on the possibilities of such traps and helps them identify and avoid them. Prison officers are also encouraged to create strong relationships with each other so that inmates may feel threatened by their cohesive power. Inmates are predictive, which makes it easy for prison officers to map out their occupational culture.
It is also like prison officers to support each other to create a united front. Due to the ever-present threat of physical danger, prison officer is required to aid each other when one of them is in distress. The political nature of their work in the prison setting also makes them support each other and avoid taking sides when there is a disagreement among prisoners. The inmate culture forces officers to understand that they cannot act as they wish but rather to comply with their occupational culture. The culture of the prison officers is good since it makes them feel safe as they know they have mutual support and protection. Their exposure to the danger the inmates may cause them makes them portray an increased sense of solidarity. Since they are willing to respond to emergencies, prison officers are able to stand up and carry on with their responsibilities.
There are also negative impacts of occupational culture, whereby officers may mistreat prisoners. These are areas that need proper scrutiny to ensure that officers stick to legal activities. Understanding the negative impact is also another reason to study the behavior of such officers. According to Nylander (2011 p.82), this culture also determines the level of aggression towards inmates. Unfortunately, some officers tend to exploit this authority and bully inmates. In such cases, due to the solidarity among officers, it is difficult to blow the whistle. Since cultures vary from prison to prison, this may not be the case everywhere. Officers who do not receive proper training on the criminal justice system tend to deviate from strategies. Just because officers are not supposed to side with inmates, they should not create a culture of bullying. There seems to be a very thin line between right and wrong when it comes to the use of coercive power in the prison setting.
Understanding the impact of the beliefs that officers have can also show underlying problems such as: why certain prisons have higher rule violations as opposed to others. During a study conducted by Benjamin Steiner and John Wooldredge (2018), it was found that prisons, where officers used excessive coercive power, had higher numbers of nonviolent rule violations as opposed to those whose officers did not rely on coercion. Even though probation and prison officers are supposed to play a similar role in keeping the environment safe and secure as well as making an impact on the lives of offenders, the culture of the prison officer seems to be burdened with more dilemmas. Just as the number of probationers has increased, so has the prison population (Misis et al. 2013, p.1). This means that the prison officers are also overwhelmed by the number of inmates to control. If they do not exercise their authority, they are faced with inmates who may mock their power. If they rely on coercion, prisons tend to rebel and violate more rules.
While prison officers are weighed down with serious dilemmas, probation officers today are overburdened with paperwork and follow-ups. If it was possible to agree on the core principles of what probation constitutes of, then it would be easy to transform the culture of rehabilitation (Senior & Ward 2016, p.9). The culture of probation officers constitutes following up on offenders, taking records, and filing reports on their progress. However, most probation officers today are given too many offenders to manage such that it’s become challenging to accomplish all the daily tasks (Mawby & Worral 2011, p.4). Probation officers may be flexible as an individual’s culture, but the organizational culture has not changed for years hence affecting their performance at work. Correctional officers need to reevaluate their culture to improve their performance. Such an approach could mean the proper rehabilitation of offenders.
In conclusion, proper changes can be made if the impacts of occupational culture are understood. Probation and prison officers typically work towards the goal of communicating and implementing the beliefs and values set by the corrections system. However, the process may not always be one hundred percent efficient. With cognitive enhancements in the structure and strategies of correctional officers, significant changes may be expected. The differences and similarities in both careers are visible when one analyses the two cultures. Prison officers tend to portray a rigid culture, while probation officers work on a more flexible culture. Their environment contributes a great deal to shaping their culture since they deal with criminals in different settings. While probation officers are faced with the task of rehabilitation, prison officers focus more on overseeing that peace is maintained behind bars. The importance of occupational culture is that it allows one to understand the reasoning behind certain actions. Prison officers are required to be tough due to the inmate culture, while probation officers are required to create a personal connection with offenders. To improve the efficiency of correction systems, understanding their occupational culture is the first place to begin.

References
Crewe, B., Liebling, A. and Hulley, S., 2011. Staff culture, use of authority and prisoner quality of life in public and private sector prisons. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 44(1), pp.94-115. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239770180_Staff_Culture_Use_of_Authority_and_Prisoner_Quality_of_Life_in_Public_and_Private_Sector_Prisons
Johnson, L.E.K., 2007. The work and culture of prison officers (Doctoral dissertation, University of Tasmania). Retrieved from https://eprints.utas.edu.au/20728/1/whole_JohnsonLucyElizabethKnowles2009_thesis.pdf
Josi, D. and Sechrest, D., 1998. The changing career of the correctional officer: Policy implications for the 21st century. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Mawby, R.C. and Worrall, A., 2011. Probation workers and their occupational cultures. Leicester: University of Leicester. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/71f2/5a3a9e449ade6f48775c883762e0916f017d.pdf
Martin, G.C., 2014. The effects of cultural diversity in the workplace. Journal of Diversity Management (JDM), 9(2), pp.89-92. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Aby%20Mutheu/Downloads/8974-Article%20Text-35123-1-10-20141121.pdf
Misis, M., Kim, B., Cheeseman, K., Hogan, N.L. and Lambert, E.G., 2013. The impact of correctional officer perceptions of inmates on job stress. Sage Open, 3(2), p.2158244013489695. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2158244013489695
Nylander, P.Å., 2011. Managing the dilemma: occupational culture and identity among prison officers (Doctoral dissertation, Örebro universitet). Retrieved from http://oru.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:439917/FULLTEXT02.pdf
Senior, P. and Ward, D., 2016. The essence of probation. British Journal of Community Justice, 14(1), p.9. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303574302_The_essence_of_probation
Shearer, R.A. and King, P.A., 2004. Multicultural competencies in probation-Issues and challenges. Fed. Probation, 68, p.3. Retrieved from https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/68_1_1_0.pdf
Steiner, B. and Wooldredge, J., 2018. Prison officer legitimacy, their exercise of power, and inmate rule breaking. Criminology, 56(4), pp.750-779. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1745-9125.12191
Treven, S., Mulej, M. and Lynn, M., 2008. The impact of culture on organizational behavior. Management: journal of contemporary management issues, 13(2 (Special issue)), pp.27-39. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/27213282_The_impact_of_culture_on_organizational_behavior
Worrall, A. and Mawby, R.C., 2013. Probation worker responses to turbulent conditions: Constructing identity in a tainted occupation. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 46(1), pp.101-118.

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