CCWORK protocol: a longitudinal study of Canadian Correctional Workers’ Well-being, Organizations, Roles and Knowledge (PID142)

3.30pm – 4.15pm EDT, 26 October 2022 ‐ 45 mins

Parallel Workshops

Knowledge about the factors that contribute to the correctional officer’s (CO) mental health and well-being, or best practices for improving the mental health and well-being of COs, have been hampered by the dearth of rigorous longitudinal studies. In this presentation, we share the approach used in the Canadian Correctional Workers’ Well-being, Organizations, Roles and Knowledge study (CCWORK) and select findings, all intended to investigate several determinants of health and well-being among COs working in Canada’s federal prison system.

CCWORK is a multiyear longitudinal cohort design (2018–2023, with a 5-year renewal) to study 500 COs working in 43 Canadian federal prisons. We use quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments (i.e., surveys, interviews and clinical assessments) to assess participants’ mental health, correctional work experiences, correctional training experiences, views and perceptions of prison and prisoners, and career aspirations. Our baseline instruments comprise two surveys, one interview and a clinical assessment, which we administer when participants are still recruits in training. Our follow-up instruments refer to a survey, an interview and a clinical assessment, which are conducted yearly when participants have become COs, that is, in annual ‘waves’.

Among CCWORK’s expected scientific contributions, we highlight a detailed view of the operational, organizational and environmental stressors impacting CO mental health and well-being, and recommendations to prison administrators for improving CO well-being. We also look at how policies shape CO well-being and unpack the impacts of training and onboarding. We also interrogate recruitment and respond to the challenges tied to turn over intent and action.

Speakers

Professor Rosemary Ricciardelli

Professor and Research Chair: Safety, Security, and Wellness, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

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Marcella Siqueira Cassiano PhD.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Maritime Studies, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

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Professor Rosemary Ricciardelli

Professor and Research Chair: Safety, Security, and Wellness, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

Dr. Rosemary Ricciardelli is Professor of Sociology and Criminology, and Research Chair in Safety, Security, and Wellness, at Memorial University’s Fisheries and Marine Institute. Elected to the Royal Society of Canada, her research centers on evolving understandings of gender, vulnerabilities, risk, and experiences and issues within different facets of the criminal justice system and among mariners. She has published ten books, over 185 journal articles, and nearly 50 chapters all in the areas of PSP, criminalized persons, and wellness – broadly defined. As a sex and gender researcher, her interests lay in the social health, identity construction, and lived experiences of individuals.

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Marcella Siqueira Cassiano PhD.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Maritime Studies, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

Marcella Siqueira Cassiano is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Maritime Studies at the Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. Interested in surveillance and governance, Marcella studies the occupational health and safety of public safety personnel, who she views as surveillance agents. She also researches regimes of intense surveillance in correctional institutions such as solitary confinement, including their transformation and impact on prisoners and prison staff.