Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #17 - Designing a Humane Corrections: Possibilities and Challenges (ACJ17-A008)
Abstract
This article qualitatively examines the cultural, organizational, and wider contextual factors that shape prison officers’ experiences of their role and retention in the prison service. We draw on interviews with 47 prison officers who joined the prison service in England and Wales through the Unlocked Graduates’ Leadership Development Programme. The findings suggest that despite maintaining a strong motivation to stay in operational prison roles given the meaningful nature of the work, many officers experience barriers to career development, limited line management support and occupational cultures that are not always aligned with rehabilitation. These factors ultimately undermine prison officers’ sense of job satisfaction and result in them exiting the service.
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