Numerous researchers have hypothesized or found that women correctional officers experience greater job-related stress than their male counterparts (Cullen, Link, Wolfe, & Frank, 1985; Slate, 1993; Wright and Saylor, 1991; Zupan, 1986). The con-temporary literature has presented little data testing the relationship between gender and burnout in a maximum security prison setting. In the present study, 277 correctional officers were administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Item analysis of the MBI confirms earlier studies demonstrating scale reliability. Contrary to earlier stress studies conducted in the 1980s, women correctional officers demonstrated a greater sense of job-related personal achievement and accomplishment (F= 5.38, p = .02) than their men counterparts. Men and women correctional officers were found to be homogeneous groups on emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Anson, R. H., & Anson, N. (1995). Stress in the encyclopedia of police science W. Bailey (Ed.), (pp. 735-740). New York: Garland.
2.
Belcastro, P., Gold, R., & Grant, J. (1982). Stress and burnout—Physiologic effects on correctional teachers. Criminal Justice & Behavior, 9(4), 387-395.
3.
Britton, D. (1997). Perceptions of the work environment among correctional officers: Do race and sex matter? Criminology, 35(1), 85-105.
4.
Brown, P. (1986, March). Probation officer burnout. Federal Probation, 4-7.
5.
Buffum, P. (1972). Homosexuality in prisons. Washington DC: National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice.
6.
Carlson, J., Anson, R., & Thomas, G. (2002, March 9). Women and men correctional officers working together: How is integration working in the new millennium? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Anaheim, CA.
7.
Criminal Justice Institute. (1998). The corrections yearbook. Middletown, CT: Author.
8.
Cullen, F., Link, B., Wolfe, N., & Frank, J. (1985). The social dimensions of correctional officer stress. Justice Quarterly, 2(4), 505-533.
9.
Fry, L. J., & Glasser, D. (1987). Gender differences in work adjustment of prison employees. Journal of Offender Counseling Services & Rehabilitation, 12, 39-52.
10.
Holeman, H., & Krepps-Hess, B. (1983). Women correctional officers in the California Department of Corrections. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Corrections.
11.
Jackson, S., & Maslach, C. (1982). After-effects of job related stress: Families as victims. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 3, 63-77.
12.
Jurik, N. (1985). An officer and a lady: Organizational barriers to women working as correctional officers in men's prison. Social Problems, 32, 375-388.
13.
Maslach, C. (1978). Job burnout: How people cope. Public Wellness, 36, 56-58.
14.
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2, 99-113.
15.
Owen, B. (1988). The reproduction of social control: A study of prison workers at San Quentin. New York: Praeger.
Robin, G., & Anson, R. (1990). Introduction to the criminal justice system (4th ed.). New York: Harper-Collins.
18.
Seyle, H. (1976). The stress of life. New York: McGraw-Hill.
19.
Slate, R. (1993, March). Stress levels of correctional personnel: Is there a difference between the sexes? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Kansas City, MO.
20.
Sykes, G. (1958). The society of captives. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
21.
Triple H. R., Mullings, J., & Scarborough, K. (1996). Work related stress and coping among correctional officers: Implications from organizational literature. Journal of Criminal Justice, 24(4), 291-308.
22.
Walters, S. (1992). Attitudinal and demographic differences between male and female correctional officers: A study in three midwestern prisons. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 18(112), 173-189.
23.
Whitehead, J. (1985, March). Job burnout in probation and parole: Its extent and intervention implications. Criminal Justice & Behavior, 12, 91-110.
24.
Whitehead, J. (1986a, March). Gender differences in probation: A case of no differences. Justice Quarterly, 3(1), 51-65.
25.
Whitehead, J. (1986b). Job burnout and job satisfaction among probation managers. Journal of Criminal Justice, 14, 25-35.
26.
Whitehead, J. (1987). Probation officer burnout: A test of two theories. Journal of Criminal Justice, 15(1), 1-16.
27.
Whitehead, J., & Lindquist, C. (1986). Correctional officer job burnout: A path model. Journal of Crime & Delinquency, 23(1), 23-42.
28.
Wright, K., & Saylor, W. (1991, December). Male and female employees' perception of prison work: Is there a difference? Justice Quarterly, 8, 505-524.
29.
Zimmer, L. (1986). Women guarding men. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
30.
Zupan, L. (1986). Gender-related differences in correctional officer's perceptions and attitudes. Journal of Criminal Justice, 14, 349-361.
31.
Zupan, L. (1992). The progress of women correctional officers in all-male prisons. In I. L. Moyer (Ed.), The changing roles of women in the criminal justice system (2nd ed., pp. 323-343). Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
