Correctional Leadership
John Johnson, Ph.D., CJM, CPM
Correctional officers face various challenges and responsibilities in their work environment. In general, correctional leaders should adopt a humanistic and supportive approach to leadership, as this can enhance the job satisfaction, performance, and mental health of correctional officers.
Some of the main challenges correctional officers face in their work environment are the high stress and emotional strain they experience perpetually. Correctional officers are exposed to various sources of anxiety, including witnessing, or being involved in violent incidents, dealing with aggressive or mentally ill incarcerated individuals, managing crises and emergencies, and enforcing strict rules and regulations (Blevins et al., 2020). These inherent job functions have resulted in correctional officers suffering from trauma, burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral injury as they must cope with the psychological impact of their work and the ethical dilemmas that they encounter.
Critical Components of Jail Leadership
Feelings of societal stigmatization often correlate to internal feelings of negativity and indifference. These factors can have detrimental effects on the emotional wellbeing of correctional officers, which can manifest increased rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicide, and other mental health problems among this population. These factors can also affect the job satisfaction, performance, and retention of correctional officers, as they may result in lower levels of motivation, commitment, engagement, and productivity and higher levels of absenteeism, turnover, and misconduct. Therefore, an essential component of jail leadership is addressing correctional officers’ stress and emotional strain and providing them with adequate support and resources to enhance their emotional health and resilience.
Improving Emotional Wellbeing
Another critical aspect of jail leadership is the awareness and empathy for the emotional state of the staff. Correctional leaders must understand and acknowledge their officers’ stress and emotional strain and how it can affect their psychological and physical health and work outcomes. By being aware and empathetic, jail leaders can create a supportive and trusting relationship with their staff, showing them, they are valued, respected, and cared for. This can help reduce correctional officers’ isolation and stigma and foster a positive organizational culture and climate. Moreover, by being aware and empathetic, correctional leaders can also identify and address the signs and symptoms of emotional distress among their staff, intervene early, and effectively to prevent or mitigate the negative consequences such as excessively employing force or forming a harmful addiction. By doing so, correctional leaders can enhance their officers’ performance, motivation, retention, wellbeing, and improve the quality and safety of the correctional services. Therefore, correctional leaders must be aware of and empathetic to their staff’s emotional state and provide them with the necessary support and resources to cope with the challenges and demands of their work.
Correctional leaders can effectively support and enhance the emotional health of their officers by prioritizing regular communication. This practice allows leaders to build trust, establish rapport, and gain a thorough understanding of their staff, while also providing clear expectations, goals, and feedback. Leaders must communicate openly and frequently while actively listening to officers’ concerns, opinions, and suggestions. It’s also essential to provide constructive and timely feedback to recognize achievements and contributions. By fostering effective communication, correctional leaders can boost their officers’ morale, confidence, and satisfaction while encouraging them to share their feelings and challenges.
Professional Development
One effective method for promoting the emotional wellbeing of correctional officers is to provide them with ample training and
development opportunities. These resources can equip officers with the knowledge, skills, and competencies they need to perform their duties effectively, while also helping them cope with the stress and trauma they may encounter (Berger & Quiros, 2020; Dowden & Tellier, 2020). Training can also foster resilience, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence, which are essential for managing emotions and reactions in challenging situations. It is crucial for jail leaders to ensure that their officers receive ongoing and relevant training, as well as access to professional growth and career advancement opportunities. By doing so, correctional leaders can enhance the competence, motivation, and retention of their officers, thereby minimizing the risk of burnout and turnover.
Counseling and Peer Support
To bolster the emotional wellness of correctional officers, jail leaders can utilize a third tactic: providing counseling and peer support services. Such resources can help officers navigate the psychological and emotional impacts of their work and guide them toward seeking help as needed (Alexander & Van Voorhis, 2020). Counseling affords officers a secure and confidential space to process their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, while receiving expert guidance and assistance. Peer support fosters a sense of community and solidarity among officers, offering them a forum to share advice and support with colleagues who face similar challenges (Goldberg & Dickey, 2020). Jail leaders must make counseling and peer support readily available and encourage their officers to seek help without fear of stigma or judgment. By prioritizing these resources, jail leaders can promote the mental health and overall well-being of their officers and reduce the likelihood of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Conclusion
To sum up, this article has outlined three effective strategies that correctional leaders can employ to promote and improve the emotional wellbeing of their officers: cultivating a
supportive and respectful organizational culture, providing sufficient training and development opportunities, and offering counseling and peer support services (Goldberg & Dickey, 2020). By implementing these strategies, correctional officers can better cope with the stress and trauma they encounter, which can enhance their skills, motivation, and retention. Additionally, these tactics can prevent or lessen the occurrence of mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, among correctional officers. These conditions can have detrimental effects on their personal and professional lives, as well as the safety and security of detention facilities and the public (Dowden & Tellier, 2020; Goldberg & Dickey, 2020). Thus, jail leaders play a crucial role in fostering a positive and healthy work environment for their officers and ensuring they receive the care and support they need.
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Dr. John Johnson, Ph.D., CJM, CPM the Executive Officer of Community Services at Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation. He is also a Past President of the American Jail Association. For more information, he can be contacted at John.Johnson@miamidade.gov
References
Alexander, M., & Van Voorhis, P. (2020). Correctional counseling and treatment. Routledge.
Berger, R., & Quiros, L. (2020). Secondary traumatic stress and correctional officers: A study of institutional and personal coping resources. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 64(8), 825-841.
Blevins, K. R., Listwan, S. J., Cullen, F. T., & Jonson, C. L. (2020). The impact of emotional labor on correctional staff: Implications for work attitudes and well-being. Justice Quarterly, 37(4), 644-664.
Dowden, C., & Tellier, C. (2020). Traumatic exposure and mental health outcomes among correctional employees: Examining the mediating role of resilience and social support. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 47(3), 277-293.
Goldberg, A. E., & Dickey, L. M. (2020). Creating a healthy corrections workplace. The Prison Journal, 100(6), 709-729.
