William P. McCarty

Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment in Prisons: An Examination of Psychological Staff, Teachers, and Unit Management Staff

Staff are the most valuable and expensive resources in prisons. Although correctional officers have received considerable academic attention, we know very little about their noncustody counterparts. This study examines and compares the predictors of job satisfaction, institutional commitment, and commitment to a prison system among three noncustody groups: psychological staff, teachers, and unit management personnel. Data are taken from the 2005 Prison Social Climate Survey, a questionnaire sent annually to a stratified random sample of federal prison staff. Results of Hierarchical Linear Modeling analyses indicate that supervision and perceived effectiveness with inmates had a significant and positive impact on all dependent variables for each noncustody group. The amount of time spent working in a prison was also a common predictor of institutional commitment for all groups. Some differences in significant predictors were found across noncustody groups for several independent variables including security level, amount of inmate contact, and months in current institution.

Job-Related Burnout Among Civilian and Sworn Police Personnel:

Employee burnout can affect workers’ health, motivation, and job performance, and speed staff turnover. In law enforcement, burnout has been attributed to a variety of job-related, organizational, and personal factors, ranging from the danger inherent to the job to the liabilities of late shift work, tension with supervisors, and gender relations in the organization. Overlooked in almost all of these studies has been the place of civilians in police work, and how their burnout experiences differ from—or resemble—those of their sworn counterparts. This study is based on surveys of both sworn and civilian employees of 12 police agencies from across the United States. In the survey they described their extent of emotional exhaustion, and reported on features of their lives and work that have been hypothesized to magnify or minimize this stress reaction. The study found that the burnout process is a universal one, driven by virtually the same factors among both civilians and sworn officers. Difficulties balancing work and life responsibilities, the support they receive from coworkers and supervisors, the fairness of personnel policies, and several personal factors contributed to burnout levels. The implications of these findings for both research and practice are also explored.

Utilizing Behavioral Interventions to Improve Supervision Outcomes in Community-Based Corrections

The number of offenders supervised in the community has grown significantly over the past few decades, whereas successful completions of probation and parole terms have been declining during the same time period. The current study examines the impact of rewards and sanctions on offenders in an Intensive Supervision Program (ISP). Data were collected on a random sample of 283 offenders who participated in an ISP between 2000 and 2003. Agency records, including supervision notes, violation reports, and other offender-related correspondence, were used to track offenders’ sanction and reward histories during their participation in the program. Controlling for a number of variables, the study found that the use of both sanctions and rewards led to higher success rates. Administering rewards in proportionally higher numbers than sanctions produced the best results, especially when a ratio of four or more rewards for every sanction was achieved. Correctional administrators are encouraged to identify ideological obstacles that may impede the application of behavioral techniques and to carefully train and guide line staff in the use of sanctions and rewards.

Determinants of Police Strength in Large U.S. Cities During the 1990s A Fixed-Effects Panel Analysis

The 1990s represented a unique decade in which to analyze the determinants of police strength in the United States. This decade was a time in which crime initially increased, then substantially decreased. Furthermore, this decade also was characterized by increases in the minority population throughout large American cities. Finally, the 1990s were characterized by increasing police budgets. These realities have direct implications for the competing theories of police growth. This research examines the determinants of police strength in large U.S. cities from 1990 to 2000. A fixed-effects panel analysis was used to assess the number of sworn police officers per 100,000 population. The findings support the resource dependency and social conflict perspectives. Additionally, no support was found for the rational public choice perspective.

Job Satisfaction Behind Walls and Fences A Study of Prison Health Care Staff

Health care staff serve important humanitarian, legal, and security functions inside prisons. Although medical and health staff have become critical to daily life in prisons, little is known about their work attitudes and outcomes. This article examines the job satisfaction of 430 health care practitioners in the federal prison system. Ordinary least squares regression is used to analyze responses to a global measurement of job satisfaction. This analytic procedure was chosen after tests determined that prison-level characteristics would have very little influence on the job satisfaction of this sample. Work-related variables were stronger predictors of job satisfaction than personal characteristics. Feeling effective in dealing with inmates had the strongest impact on job satisfaction. Health care staff also had higher job satisfaction when they perceived greater flexibility and effectiveness in organizational operations and when they had more positive feelings about supervision. Significant personal characteristics that influenced job satisfaction included race and education level.

Organizational justice and officer “buy in” in American policing

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the dimensions of organizational justice in police organizations and evaluate how they contribute to organizational commitment, job satisfaction and compliance with agency rules. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 15,236 sworn officers from a national sample of 88 agencies was used, as well as other agency- and community-level variables. Multi-level models assessed how four dimensions of organizational justice affected these outcomes. Findings More favorable perceptions of organizational justice were strongly related to increased commitment to the organization, job satisfaction and compliance with agency rules. Perceptions of organization-wide justice, leadership justice and diversity justice were especially important in predicting those outcome measures. Research limitations/implications While the sample of agencies was broad and diverse, it should not be considered representative of smaller municipal police departments and sheriff’s offices in the USA. Practical implications The findings suggest that “buy in” to reforms and police compliance with rules is much more likely when supervisors and leaders are fair, respectful, give officers input, provide growth opportunities and show concern for officers’ welfare. As such, agencies would benefit from leadership and leadership training that values the core principals of organizational justice. Originality/value The study provides clarity about how organizational justice is perceived by police officers, including women and officers of color, and provides an unprecedented test of organizational justice theory in diverse police agencies.

Coping, Confidence, and Change within the Academy: A Longitudinal Look at Police Recruits

This study is based on surveys of police recruits representing four agencies across the United States. The recruits were surveyed at the beginning and end of their academy training and asked about coping strategies and the confidence they had in performing their jobs. Coping shifted significantly over time, with recruits utilizing task-oriented and outreach strategies less frequently at the end of the academy than at the beginning. Avoidance coping strategies were used more frequently by recruits at the end of the academy than at the beginning. Slight changes were also found in the influence of these strategies on job confidence over time, with avoidance coping having a stronger influence in the beginning of the academy than at the end. The role of demographic factors on coping was largely invariant over time, with only slight differences detected. Implications for policy and research are also discussed.

Gender differences in burnout among municipal police sergeants

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the levels and predictors of burnout between female and male sergeants in a large municipal law enforcement agency. Design/methodology/approach – This study used surveys of 171 female and 737 male sergeants. In the survey they described their extent of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and reported on other issues that affect burnout. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare the levels and predictors of these chronic stress reactions. Findings – Female sergeants expressed higher levels of emotional exhaustion and lower levels of depersonalization than male sergeants. Also, the burnout process is largely consistent between female and male sergeants, driven by similar factors, including feelings of work-life conflict and relations with peers and supervisors. Research limitations/implications – The survey was fielded in one organization, which may or may not be representative of other agencies. Future studies of different organizatio...

Effects of police agency diversification on officer attitudes

Purpose In light of recent calls to increase the diversity of America’s police, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of agency and leadership diversification on officer job satisfaction and reported perceptions of fairness within the organization, factors known to influence retention and performance. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 15,236 officers representing 88 agencies was used, as well as other agency- and community-level variables. Multi-level models were used to assess how these individual- and agency-level variables, including measures of diversification, affected job satisfaction and perceptions of fairness. Findings Diversification in agency leadership positions was found to improve perceptions of fairness among all officers, in addition to ameliorating some feelings of unfairness among African-American officers. Diversification of the sworn ranks, in comparison to the population of the community, however, was not found to significantly affect the outcome measures. Research limitations/implications The study only examined the effects of diversification on officer perceptions. Future studies that link measures of diversification to citizen perceptions are needed to understand how members of the public respond to the image and characteristics of sworn personnel in their communities. Practical implications The results indicate the importance of retention and promotion of more diverse leadership in police agencies. Originality/value This study is one of the first to assess the effects of diversification in such a large sample of agencies of all types and sizes throughout the USA.

Mobile home parks and crime: Does proximity matter?

Mobile home communities are viewed negatively, as non-residents and municipalities often see them as being a source of declining property values and escalating rates of crime and other social maladies in surrounding areas. Despite the prevalence of such beliefs, empirical tests of their veracity have been rare. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the presence of mobile home communities significantly affects violent and property crime in surrounding blocks. Using official reports of crime and Census data from Omaha, Nebraska, results of bivariate and multivariate analyses showed minimal evidence that crime spills over around mobile home communities. The implications of these findings for researchers as well as cities, towns, and other municipalities considering the development of mobile home communities are also explored.