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FORUM on Corrections Research
Why do Correctional Officers Resign?
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Do more highly educated and female officers exhibit higher rates of turnover among front-line security
staff! Researchers Nancy Jurik and Russel Winn report no empirical support for either of these
expectations. In a survey of 179 correctional officers in one medium security prison in the western United States, Jurik and Winn found a yearly facility turnover rate of 27.7% for security staff. Nearly 68% of those leaving had resigned, with dismissal accounting for the remainder of security staff turnover. The researchers found that neither educational attainment nor gender were significantly related to staff terminations or dismissals. The survey did, however, reveal that correctional officers depart more often if they perceived lack of promotional opportunities, had little policy input, held negative attitudes toward superiors, or expressed general job dissatisfaction. In examining the effect of differing work assignments on officers' satisfaction with working conditions, the researchers found that officers evaluate their working conditions "most favourably" when assigned to administrative-type duties (e.g., mail, property). The "most negative" evaluations of working conditions were made by officers assigned to sentry-type duties (e.g., control centres, visitation). Jurik and Winn suggest that future management efforts directed toward correctional staff turnover should focus on the role of the organizational environment rather than individual attributes. Jurik, N.C., Winn, R. (1987). Describing Correctional-Security Dropouts and Rejects. An Individual or Organizational Profile? Criminal Justice and Behavior. Vol. 14, 1, 5-25. |
