This article examines the situational, occupational stressors encountered by postsecondary correctional educators. Environmental limitations and complex inmate-teacher interactions form barriers that often complicate and impede the educational process. On the basis of qualitative interviews these stressors are examined and the process by which faculty can and do overcome them is explored. It is suggested that environmental modifications and increased staff awareness of complex inmate behavior can increase the efficacy and efficiency of prison-based college programs.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Adams, K., Bennett, K. J., Flanagan, T. J., Marquart, J. W., Cuvelier, S. J., Fritsch, E., Gerber, J., Longmire, D. R., & Burton, V. S. (1994). A large-scale multi-dimensional test of the effect of prison education programs on offender's behavior. The Prison Journal, 74, 433-449.
2.
Cares, R. C., & Blackburn, R. T. (1978). Faculty self-actualization: Factors affecting career success. Research in Higher Education, 9, 123-136.
3.
Cheek, F. E., & Miller, M. D. (1983). The experiences of stress for correctional officers: A double-bind theory of correctional stress. Journal of Criminal Justice, 11, 105-120.
4.
Cioffi, F. (1981). Teaching college humanities courses in prison. Alternative Higher Education, 6, 49-59.
DeGraw, D. (1987). A study of correctional educators in adult correctional institutions. Journal of Correctional Education, 38, 18-20.
7.
Dignam, J., Barrera, M., & West, S. (1986). Occupational stress, social support and burnout among correctional officers. American Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 177-193.
8.
Dilulio, J. (1991). No escape: The failure of American corrections. New York: Basic Books.
9.
Eggleston, C. R. (1991). Correctional education, professional development. Journal of Correctional Education, 42, 16-21.
10.
Frase, L. E., & Sorenson, L. (1992). Teacher motivation and satisfaction: Impact on participatory management. NASSP Bulletin, 76, 37-43.
11.
Gendron, D., & Cavan, J. J. (1988). Inmate education: The Virginia model. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, Las Vegas, NV.
12.
Gross, G. R., Larson, S. J., Urban, G. D., & Zupan, L. L. (1994). Gender differences in occupational stress among correctional officers. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 18, 219-232.
13.
Grossi, E. L., Keil, T. J., & Vito, G. F. (1996). Surviving “the joint”: Mitigating factors of correctional officer stress. Journal of Crime and Justice, 19(2), 103-120.
14.
Haber, G. (1983). The realization of potential by Lorton, D. C. Inmates with UDC education compared to those without UDC education. Journal of Offender Services, Counseling and Rehabilitation, 7, 37-55.
15.
Harer, M. (1993). Recidivism among federal prison releases in 1987: A preliminary report. Washington, DC: Federal Bureau of Prisons, Office of Research and Evaluation.
16.
Hawke, S. D., & Ritter, J. (1988). Teaching biology behind prison walls. Journal of College Science Teaching, 18, 22-25.
17.
Holloway, J., & Moke, P. (1986). Post-secondary correctional education: An evaluation of parole performance. Wilmington, OH: Wilmington College.
18.
Kiser, G. (1987). Teaching college courses to inmates. Journal of Correctional Education, 38, 102-107.
Linebaugh, P. (1982). Freeing birds, erasing images, burning lamps: How I learned to teach in prison. In H. S. Davidson (Ed.), Schooling in a total institution: Critical perspectives on prison education. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey.
21.
Littlefield, J., & Wolford, B. (1982). A survey of higher education in U.S. correctional institutions. Journal of Correctional Education, 33, 14-18.
22.
Lombardo, L. (1981). Guards imprisoned: Correctional officers at work. New York: Elsevier.
23.
Marsters, D. (1991). Teaching in prison: A collection of thoughts. Journal of Correctional Education, 42, 164-166.
24.
McCracken, G. (1988). The long interview. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
25.
Nussel, E. J., Wiersma, W., & Rusche, P. J. (1988). Work satisfaction of education professors. Journal of Teacher Education, 39, 45-50.
26.
O'Neil, M. (1990). Correctional higher education: Reduced recidivism?Journal of Correctional Education, 41, 28-31.
27.
Osberg, T. M., & Fraley, S. E. (1993). Faculty perceptions of teaching in a prison college program: Motivations, barriers suggestions for improvement and perceived equivalence to traditional college programs. Journal of Correctional Education, 44, 20-26.
28.
Parker, E. A. (1990). The social-psychological impact of a college education on the prison inmate. Journal of Correctional Education, 41, 140-146.
29.
Pittman, V., & Whipple, E. M. (1982). The inmate as college student. Lifelong Learning: The Adult Years, 5, 4-5, 30.
30.
Quaglia, R., Marion, S. F., & McIntire, W. G. (1992). The relationship of teacher satisfaction to perceptions of school organization, teacher empowerment, work conditions and community status. Education, 112, 206-216.
31.
Roundtree, G. A., Edwards, D. A., & Dawson, S. H. (1982). The effects of education on self-esteem of male prison inmates. Journal of Correctional Education, 32, 12-18.
32.
Sarri, R. (1993, November). Educational programs in state departments of corrections: A survey of the states. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Phoenix, AZ.
33.
Schumacker, R. E., Anderson, D. B., & Anderson, S. L. (1990). Vocational and academic indicators of parole success. Journal of Correctional Education, 41, 8-13.
34.
Smith, N. E. (1988). Impression management in the prison. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, Columbus.
35.
Stein, M. (1989). Teaching deviance to deviants: The prison classroom experience. Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology, 17, 185-191.
36.
Stephan, J. (1992). Census of state and federal correctional facilities, 1990. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
37.
Szockyj, E. (1989). Working in a man's world: Women correctional officers in an institution for men. Canadian Journal of Criminology, 31, 319-328.
38.
Tewksbury, R. (1993a). Motivations for post-secondary correctional educators. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 4, 115-131.
39.
Tewksbury, R. (1993b). On the margins of two professions: Job satisfaction and stress among post-secondary correctional educators. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 18, 61-77.
40.
Walters, S. (1993). Changing the guard: Male correctional officers' attitudes toward women as co-workers. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 20, 47-60.
41.
Wees, G. (1995). Corrections education and Pell Grant funding: The worst is yet to come for degree-seeking inmates. Corrections Compendium, 20(12), 10-23.
42.
Whitehead, J., & Lindquist, C. (1986). Correctional officer job burnout: A path model. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 23, 23-42.
43.
Wreford, P. (1990). Community college prison program graduation recidivism. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
