William G. Saylor

Male and female employees' perceptions of prison work: Is there a difference?

In the descriptions of what employment is like for women working in male prisons, one discovers a notable dissimilarity between qualitative and quantitative research. Reports based upon interviews portray the work environment for women as hostile, where female officers suffer discrimination and harassment. In contrast, the relatively few surveys of attitudes discovered no difference in job satisfaction between men and women. This study attempts to clarify our understanding of the work experience for women working in mens prisons through a broad-based comparison of the survey-reported experiences of women and men employed in the federal prison system. Comparisons are made between opinions about supervision, job satisfaction, sense of personal efficacy in working with inmates, and job-related stress. The only significant differences are that women report greater job-reported stress and feel relatively less safe. The actual magnitude of stress differences is small, however, and although female respondents r...

Gender differences in outcomes from prison-based residential treatment

This study examines gender similarities and differences in background characteristics, the effectiveness of treatment, and the predictors of post-release outcomes among incarcerated drug-using offenders. The sample of 1,842 male and 473 female treatment and comparison subjects came from a multi-site evaluation of prison-based substance abuse treatment programs. Three-year follow-up data for recidivism and post-release drug use were analyzed using survival analysis methods. Despite the greater number of life problems among women than men, women had lower three-year recidivism rates and rates of post-release drug use than did men. For both men and women, treated subjects had longer survival times than those who were not treated. There were both similarities and differences with respect to gender and the other predictors of the two post-release outcomes. Differences in background characteristics and in factors related to post-release outcomes for men and women suggest the plausibility of gender-specific paths in the recovery process.

A comparison of perceptions of the work environment between minority and non-minority employees of the federal prison system

Abstract Since 1970, the number of minority staff working in the prisons in the United States has almost doubled, so that by 1990 the distribution of minority employees has come to approximate the inmate population distribution. Surprisingly little is known about the experience of these employees in the workplace. Early accounts found that Blacks and other minorities were discriminated against and treated with disrespect. This study used results of the Prison Social Climate Survey, which is administered to a sample of all employees in the federal prison system, to determine whether Blacks and Hispanics experience the organization differently from non-minority employees. The present study found that Blacks and whites and Hispanics and non-Hispanics did not differ in their job satisfaction or their opinions about supervision. Both Blacks and Hispanics had a greater sense of personal efficacy in working with inmates, and Blacks reported less job-related stress. Alternative explanations for these results are discussed.

Federal prison residential drug treatment reduces substance use and arrests after release.

Objective: The effectiveness of federal prison-based residential drug and alcohol treatment programs was evaluated using event history procedures that addressed the problem of selection bias and included a wide range of control variables. Methods: The sample comprised 760 treatment subjects and 809 comparison subjects. Treatment subjects were from 20 different prisons of medium, low, and minimum security levels. Comparison subjects were drawn from over 30 prisons. Results: The results indicated that individuals who entered and completed in-prison residential treatment were less likely to experience the critical postrelease outcomes of new arrests and substance use during the first 6 months following release. Conclusions: Without controlling for selection bias, the effects of treatment would most likely have been attenuated. The results have greater generalizability than other studies of prison-based treatment. This study occurred within a multisite context of 20 programs serving both male and female inmates and operating within different security levels and different geographic regions.

Alternative solutions to the problem of selection bias in an analysis of federal residential drug treatment programs.

In an evaluation of prison-based residential drug treatment programs, the authors use three different regression-based approaches to estimating treatment effects. Two of the approaches, the instrumental variable and the Heckman approach, attempt to minimize selection bias as an explanation for treatment outcomes. Estimates from these approaches are compared with estimates from a regression in which treatment is represented by a dummy variable. The article discusses the advantage of using more than one method to increase confidence in findings when possible selection bias is a concern. Three-year outcome data for 2,315 federal inmates are used in analyses where the authors separately examine criminal recidivism and relapse to drug use for men and women. Statistical tests lead the authors to conclude that treatment reduces criminal recidivism and relapse to drug use. The treatment effect was largest when the inference was based on the Heckman approach, somewhat smaller when based on the instrumental variable approach, and smallest when based on the traditional dummy variable approach. Treatment effects for females were not statistically significant.

Measurement of prison social climate: A comparison of an inmate measure in England and the USA

We review and describe prison climate measurement studies. We compared the factor patterns and stability from three domains of the Prison Social Climate survey (PSC) (Environmental quality of life; Personal well-being; and Safety and security). Stability was compared using randomly split halves of inmate responses from 10 selected US federal prison samples (n = 950): there were no significant differences. Factor patterns on the same instrument were compared between the US sample and an English purposive sample (n = 186) of inmates. There were no significant differences between US and English factor patterns, although at a slightly lower level of factor constraint. Factors as factor-scored according to the US factor pattern showed significant differences between the USA and England on the Environmental quality of life scales and the Personal well-being scales, and significant differences on only two of six of the Safety and security dimensions. Data suggest that the PSC is stable within the US sample, and is also stable in its factor pattern between the US and English samples. Prison climate, as measured by the three domains of the PSC selected, appears a stable measure across similar western penal systems and inmate cultures.

Aggregating individual-level evaluations of the organizational social climate: A multilevel investigation of the work environment at the Federal Bureau of Prisons

The social climate of the work site is typically regarded as highly influential for individual and organizational productivity. This research examines intrafirm variability in the social climate by studying how an organization, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, uses information it gathers about the social climate. Intrafirm variability in social climate is not usually examined, although it has clear implications for theory, methods, and policy. Multilevel models are used to investigate the empirical properties of three scales of the social climate: institutional operations, commitment to the organization, and satisfaction with supervision. The analysis points out the necessity of moving beyond traditional concerns about scale properties at the individual level when aggregating individual-level measures into organizational measures, especially when the theoretical and practical concerns pertain to intrafirm variability in the social climate.

Affirmative Action and the “Level Playing Field”: Comparing Perceptions of Own and Minority Job Advancement Opportunities

Little research has been done on the effectiveness of affirmative action programs in establishing perceptions of a “level playing field” for historically disadvantaged groups. Especially lacking is research on the perceptions of people working for specific affirmative action employers. This research uses both outcome and attitudinal data of correctional officers employed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, an affirmative action employer. Black and White correctional officers provide evaluations of their own opportunities for job advancement that are generally consistent with objective, aggregate data. Black and White officers, however, exhibit wide disagreement when surveyed about opportunities available for minorities. This research examines the processes by which the discrepancies between Black and White evaluations of minority opportunities arise. In particular, the authors examine the ability of two competing hypotheses to explain the disagreement between Blacks and Whites. The first hypothesis, the denial of minority opportunity hypothesis, holds that minorities underestimate minority opportunities relative to their own opportunities. The second hypothesis, the denial of majority opportunity hypothesis, maintains that nonminorities overestimate minority opportunities. Results suggest that White correctional officers tend to overestimate minority opportunities.

Racial diversity of correctional workers and inmates: Organizational commitment, teamwork, and workers' efficacy in prisons

Prior research into the effects of racial diversity on workplace relationships has demonstrated that white workers prefer to work in and with groups which are also composed of white workers. Using structural equation models, we tested whether higher levels of racial diversity, measured as social distance from coworkers and inmates, were associated with lower evaluations of organizational commitment, teamwork among coworkers, and efficacy in dealing with inmates. We found the expected negative effects of racial diversity on white male correctional workers for organizational commitment, but not for teamwork and efficacy. For minority male correctional workers, racial diversity did not affect organizational commitment, teamwork, or efficacy.