Karen Oehme

Disparate Levels of Stress in Police and Correctional Officers: Preliminary Evidence from a Pilot Study on Domestic Violence

New data from a prevention curriculum project on officer-involved domestic violence reveals significant differences in the reported job stress of Floridas correctional officers when compared to police officers who took the same surveys. The significantly higher reported levels of organizational stress in particular—especially those related to staff and resource shortages and attitudes about leadership—raise concerns about the relationship between organizational stress and the reported drastic budget cuts, hiring freezes, and layoffs experienced by the Department of Corrections in 2009. The surprising disparity has significant implications for policy makers, who should be aware of the high cost of stress in officer health and well-being when making budgetary decisions about the states rapidly increasing inmate population.

A practical plan for prevention and intervention: Florida’s new Model Policy on officer-involved domestic violence

This article describes the development and innovative dissemination of Florida’s new Model Policy on officer-involved domestic violence and explains its expanded focus on training, employee assistance programs, and victims, as well as its application to a much broader group of officers than any other related policy in the USA. The article also presents data from research surveys taken by the first group of officers who viewed the Model Policy online. An analysis of the data reflects the promise of the Model Policy’s potential impact and the broader impact of the Law Enforcement Families Partnership.

What do EMS personnel think about domestic violence? An exploration of attitudes and experiences after participation in training

INTRODUCTION In 2012, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) reaffirmed that domestic violence is a serious public health hazard that emergency medical services (EMS) personnel will encounter. Many victims of domestic violence may refuse transport to the hospital, making EMS prehospital field personnel --EMTs and paramedics-- their only contact with healthcare providers. Despite these facts, the interaction of field EMS personnel and victims of domestic violence remains largely unexamined. OBJECTIVES Given the importance of the interaction of field EMS personnel have with victims of domestic violence, the goal of this study is to explore attitudes about and experiences of EMS personnel on the issue of domestic violence after completing a training on domestic violence. METHODS Participants were recruited by researchers contacting multiple EMS agencies. Data were gathered using a survey attached to an online domestic violence training for field EMS personnel (EMTs and paramedics) circulated in a large southern state. Participants were able to obtain continuing education credits for completing the online modules. RESULTS A total of 403 respondents completed the survey. 71% of respondents indicated that they frequently encounter patients who disclose domestic violence; 45% believe that if a victim does not disclose abuse, there is little they can do to help; and from 32% to 43% reported assumptions and attitudes that indicate beliefs that victims are responsible for the abuse. CONCLUSIONS Implications of the data are discussed suggesting that EMS providers are aware that they frequently assist victims of domestic violence, yet many continue to endorse common myths and negative attitudes about victims. Core components of training that can educate EMS personnel about the dynamics of domestic violence are described, and a new free online training for medical professionals on domestic violence is offered for use as part of ongoing education to enhance the EMS response to victims.

Workplace experiences of gay and lesbian criminal justice officers in the United States: a qualitative investigation of officers attending a LGBT law enforcement conference

ABSTRACT Criminal justice culture values traditional masculinity, which has led to adverse workplace experiences for officers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). This study used focus group data to explore the workplace experiences of 10 law enforcement and 4 corrections officers in the US who attended an LGBT criminal justice conference in 2012. Gay men reported more severe and overt discrimination experiences, while women experienced more covert discrimination. Gay men in the focus groups described engaging in impression management behaviours by acting hypermasculine so as not to raise suspicions about sexual identity and to address presumptions about workplace competency. Additionally, participants believed that homophobia in the work environment created safety concerns for officers working in corrections settings, as participants did not trust that their co-workers would have their back or provide assistance in threatening situations. Conclusions underscore the need to foster supportive and non-discriminatory policies that value contributions across gender identities and expressions.

Law enforcement officers and Employee Assistance Programs

Purpose – The toll of the stresses of policing on officers’ physical and mental health and on their individual work and family functioning has been well documented in the literature. Given the well-established consequences of work-related stress on law enforcement, it becomes important to understand how officers are utilizing institutional support systems. Specifically, the purpose of this paper is to elucidate the relationship between officers and Employee Assistant Programs (EAPs). Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from surveys attached to an online officer training targeting domestic violence in law enforcement families in a large southern state. Findings – A total of n=934 participants were retained for analyses. Few respondents (16.2 percent) reported accessing their EAPs. Totally, 56.4 percent reported knowing enough about their EAP and how to access it; 33 percent of participants would not use their EAPs for domestic violence concerns. No significant differences among officers who d...

Florida State University’s Institute for Family Violence Studies

ABSTRACT This article outlines the role of the Institute for Family Violence Studies (IFVS) within the Florida State University College of Social Work in navigating issues intersecting social work and the law (http://familyvio.csw.fsu.edu/). By developing comprehensive state and national trainings for unique populations and conducting interdisciplinary research, the IFVS promotes public policy that benefits healthy families and decreases family and intimate partner violence. The crucial role of staff and students, the IFVS’s collaborative alliances, and funding sources are highlighted. Projects such as the Clearinghouse on Supervised Visitation, the National Prevention Toolkit on Officer-Involved Domestic Violence, Successful Co-Parenting After Divorce, and the LGBTQ Family Life Project are described. Plans for future projects, as well as other new avenues for research, are summarized.

What Do EMS Professionals Know about Human Trafficking? An Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT Introduction: Human trafficking has gained attention as a major human rights concern, yet little is known about the awareness of human trafficking among Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals. This is a significant concern; EMS professionals may be uniquely equipped to intervene with victims of trafficking. To address this gap, this study assessed the familiarity with and attitudes about trafficking in EMS professionals. Methods: An anonymous online survey assessed whether respondents had previous trafficking training, if they endorsed myths related to trafficking, recognized indicators of trafficking, and the awareness of how to report suspected trafficking. A total of n = 244 EMS professionals completed the survey. Results: Less than half of respondents reporting received training in human trafficking. Respondents who completed training were significantly less likely to endorse myths about trafficking and were able to identify indicators of trafficking more frequently. Previous training did not influence preferred avenues for reporting trafficking. Implications: To address the identified gaps, a detailed description of training is outlined, including governmental data, myths about trafficking, warning signs of trafficking, and suggestions for a trauma-informed approach to interacting with suspected victims. Operationalizing these findings, the research team created a free interactive training on human trafficking for EMS professionals (https://dvmedtraining.csw.fsu.edu/training/ems/).

The Impact of Training Videos on Attitudes About Parenting After Divorce

ABSTRACT Many U.S. states require divorcing parents to take education classes about the impact of divorce on parents and children. As educators, psychiatrists, social workers, and others create these classes, it is important to evaluate what elements of the curriculum are effective in achieving targeted outcomes. Successful Coparenting After Divorce (https://coparenting.fsu.edu) is a free online divorce education course that focuses on issues such as the emotional impact of divorce, conflict reduction, and skills for parental cooperation. The course also includes videos covering topics including examples of negative and positive parental behavior, and testimonials from children. Pilot testing of the videos and the overall course impact with divorcing parents (n = 218) suggested that the videos’ utility were significantly related to the positive change in parents’ perceptions of their relationship with their former spouse, and their child-focused attitudes. Implications for practitioners who design or provide divorce education to parents are discussed.