Anders Bruhn

Emotional labour and emotional strain among Swedish prison officers

This article explores emotional labour strategies among Swedish prison officers, and shows how these affect their well-being. Case studies of five Swedish prisons and a national survey of prison officers are used. Analysis indicates that prison officers perform complex forms of emotional labour. Owing to differences in subcultures and informal norms, the strategies officers use in managing their displays of emotion vary between wings and roles. Different strategies may cause different kinds of emotional strain. So-called ‘surface acting’ may lead to cynicism and alienation, whereas ‘deep acting’ may lead to stress and exhaustion. Finally, the lack of opportunities for recovery is discussed.

The inspector’s dilemma under regulated self-regulation

Abstract Regulated self-regulation (RSR) as the main strategy for regulation in the occupational safety and health (OSH) field, and the expansion of the work environment concept to include work organisation and psychosocial health, requires that inspection authorities re-evaluate their old methods of inspection and develop new ones. Of vital importance here is the question of the so-called ‘inspector’s dilemma’ between control and educative methods in inspections. This dilemma is a classic question of state regulation. It rests on two different principles for state activity: the legality and the service principles. In this paper, the general logical and practical consequences that the RSR strategy has, or rather should have, on inspectors’ work are elaborated and explored, along with the two sides of the dilemma. The main conclusions of this paper are that the inspector’s dilemma is a permanent feature and can only be handled on a case-by-case basis. However, because of the growing complexity and differentiation in working life, and because of the change of strategy and the introduction of new tasks for the inspectorate, both the content of and the balance between the roles in the dilemma have to change. All in all, this change calls for a stronger emphasis on the role of educator. At the same time, the content of the role has to change from traditional methods of direct control and advice or persuasion to negotiation, guiding and tutoring. However, to undertake inspections in the OSH field today is to work with mixed strategies. Even if RSR is given as the main strategy, the traditional command and control strategy still lives side by side with it in legislation. Methods based on this rationale sometimes have to be given priority. Overall, the fulfilment of the new tasks demands the development of further areas of professional competence and a higher degree of discretion for individual inspectors. To an even greater extent than before, they have to be flexible in unique situations and develop the right tactics adjusted to local conditions.

Occupational Unity or Diversity in a Changing Work Context? The Case of Swedish Labour Inspectors

Abstract This paper discusses the development of occupational culture, identity and practice among Swedish inspectors, focusing on their collective occupational knowledge – their ‘professional representations’. Working conditions and state policy and regulation for occupational safety and health have gone through several important changes in recent decades. These changes have forced the Swedish inspection authority to develop its organisation and adapt its aims, strategies and methods of inspection work to the new situation. As a consequence of several far-reaching organisational changes in a rather short time, a cultural gap has developed among inspectors: between a male-dominated group of experienced technicians and a female-dominated group of newly recruited academics (often with qualifications in the behavioural sciences). On the basis of a re-reading of data from three research and evaluation projects about inspection and the inspectorate, I describe important differences in representations between these two groups and discuss how, and under what circumstances, they may be able to develop towards occupational unity and uniformity in inspection practice.

Gender relations and division of labour among prison officers in Swedish male prisons

In Sweden, female prison officers are a long-established fact. Today women make up about 38% of the prison officer work-force. However, the distribution of sexes in the organization is quite uneven between different types of prison wings and units, and at the in-group level there is an informal gendered division of labour going on. The article deals with how a gendered division of labour comes about as a result of socially established motives and notions among prison officers, as well as prisoners, about mens and womens different qualities in performing different types of work tasks. It is based on data from a minor interview study (from 2006), and a 3-year multi-strategic research project containing qualitative case-studies and a nationwide survey (from 2007–2009). The article concludes that a great number of female officers contribute to a more prominent position for the rehabilitative side of prison work. However, the on-going gendered division of labour in and between wings and units is also one important factor behind sub-cultural differentiation and variations in work practices in the prison organization. A more balanced distribution of the sexes would stimulate rehabilitative work and a more unified view of the occupational role throughout the whole organization.

Foster children's experiences and expectations concerning the child-welfare officer role—Prerequisites and obstacles for close and trustful relationships

The question of whether the Swedish social services are fulfilling their obligation to monitor and support children in foster care is attracting increasing attention. The importance of closeness an ...

Treating Drug Abusers in Prison: Competing Paradigms Anchored in Different Welfare Ideologies. The Case of Sweden

The number of prisoners in Sweden categorized as drug abusers have increased substantially in the last 20 years according to the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (SPPS). Drug abusers are defined by SPPS as those who have used illicit drugs during the previous 12 months (Ekbom et al. 2006). In 1970 about 20 % of the prisoners could be classified as drug abusers, while they made up 28 % of the prison population in 1997 (Amilon and Edstedt 1998). In 2010 the number of prisoners with drug problems had risen to 60 % (Ekbom et al. 2011). One reason for this increase may be the sentencing policy.

From prison guards to… what? : Occupational development of prison officers in Sweden and Norway

Abstract Prison officers are a key group of civil servants in the criminal justice system. Based on a comparative study of the systems for vocational education in Sweden and Norway, this article compares policies and strategies for developing the prison officer occupation. Differences in this domain are analysed against the backdrop of theories about professionalization and growing differences between these countries concerning the ends and means of prison policy in general. Data come from interviews and documents collected in 2013–2014, as well as a rereading of data from two earlier prison-research projects. Results show that Norway is adopting a strategy quite similar to the one behind the birth of the so-called welfare professions during the heyday of the social-democratic welfare state. In Sweden, the continuing division of labour is leading to enhanced skills among some specialized subgroups, such as security and programme staff, but a reduction in qualifications for the majority. The study should be of interest in relation to different strategies for developing the work of prison officers as well as of other categories of public servants. It points to growing differences between two welfare regimes that used to be quite similar, not least concerning the prison policy field.