king's bench prison in london as drawn by augustus pugin and thomas rowlandson for rudolph...
TRANSCRIPT
King's Bench Prison in London as drawn by Augustus Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson for Rudolph Ackermann's Microcosm of London. (1808-11)
The health and Well being of prison officers
Aims and Objectives Provide a brief history of
prisons and their portrayal through the media
Outline the basic training, and the job role of a prison officer
Detail the issues, both psychological and physical that a prison officer will face.
(That's the plan anyway!)
Prisons through the ages – Punishment to Rehabilitation.
Oubliettes to dungeons- Horrible punishment or Gothic fairy tale?
- Most ‘dungeons’ are exaggerated for the public – They were probably store rooms
Prisons used as holding places before punishment was decided
-execution-flogging-transportation
Tower of London etc.....
Most long term prisoners were political - You were either released, or ‘punished’
Debtors prison
Debtors sent to prison on the whim of their creditors
-No release until debt paid- No earning money in prison
-Majority of prisoners in 1700-1800’s
-Charles Dickens wrote extensively on the affect of Debtors prison due to his father
1865 Prisons Act ‘hard bed, hard board and hard labour‘Pointless labour as punishment
-tread wheels, shot drill – Exhausting physical labour with no purpose
Labour Gangs, public work
-Prisoners used to work dangerous and physically demanding jobs
A timeline of Reform
1787 Transportation to Australia started1800 75% of all crimes are 'petty theft‘1815 Gaolers paid – No longer having to rely on money from prisoners1820s The 'Bloody Code' Over 200 offences could be punished by hanging1823 Gaol Act Prisons must be healthy, and that men and women prisoners are to be kept separate1840 The 'Bloody Code' Only 5 crimes could now be punished by hanging1854 Reformatory School Reform Schools are set up for children to stop them from committing crime again, and to teach them a trade1857 Transportation stopped1869 Imprisonment for Debt stopped1877 National Prison Service – All prisons now controlled by the government1900 Only 2 crimes now punishable by hanging1964 Last men hanged for murder in the UK1965 Death penalty abolished for murder
20th Century prisons
1895 Gladstone report – “prisoners should leave as better people”
Labour with no purpose replaced with learning a trade
Prisoners allowed to earn a wage to support them on release
Clothes and haircuts allowed, uniforms and shaven heads phased out
Better facilities for visiting relatives/friends
Education and libraries in all prisons
Incentives and earned privilege schemes.
ADX Colorado
“A clean version of hell”
Everything in the prison is made from poured concrete - beds, chairs and desks
Prisoners spend entire sentences in solitary confinement
staff of 347 peoplebeds for 490 inmateshouses 404 inmates
The clearest example of a dramatic shift back to punishment, not reform.
Lack of liberty is no longer the punishment – total lack of interaction and social deprivation.
Pelican Bay‘Super max’ prison (SHU)Design capacity- 2280Current population- 3461Current number of staff- 1548 (492 of which are ‘support’) (2006/2007)
SHU implements 23 hour solitary lockdownPrisoners allowed 1 hour outside cellsTV and radio allowed
Feb 2000 riot between 200 inmates led to real bullets being used, and 1 inmate killed.
Madrid vs. Gomez – 3600 inmates complained of cruel and unusual punishment
Vaughn Dortch- Prisoner forced into boiling water after refusing to bathe
The Stanford Prison Experiment
Students randomly assigned to guard or prisoner“Prisoners” were arrested on a quiet Sunday and driven away by a cop car – Blindfolded, stripped and deloused before being given a paper smock, prison number and heavy ankle chain.“Guards” were given uniforms, reflective glasses, whistles and Clubs – They were not given training or told how to act, it wascompletely up to them.
2nd day – Riot broke out – All “guards” were called in to quashRebellion Privilege cells, food shortages, psychological abuse and physical punishments all soon followed
2 week experiment called off after 6 days.
Prison Officer Assessment – RAD (Recruitment Assessment Day)
Documentation check and vetting.
Short medical – eyesight, weight/height, Blood Pressure test (fail BP- Not allowed to run fitness test – A nod to cardiovascular disease research?)
Fitness test- bleep test, basic agility (running around cones), Dyna Grip, Shield test.
Role Plays- 4, 10 minute role plays based on situations “ a prison officer may encounter”-’crooked’ officers-disruptive prisoners-bullying and self harming-visitors issues-depression and isolation
Passed? Congratulations! You can now train in a prison.
Now what?
Week 1 – Establishment Induction.Meet and greet fellow staff, and shadow officers and managers to see how things are run.
Week 2 – 7 - Training centreClassroom learningScenario trainingControl and Restraint Team buildingIncludes formal assessment
Week 8- ‘Establishment based training’
Care vs. Custody• Contribute effectively to the safe
and secure custody of Prisoners.• Prepare reports as required in a
timely manner• Follow set procedures for dealing
with Prisoner applications• Comply with audit requirements• Apply authorised control and
restraint procedures where appropriate
• Encourage Prisoners to deal with personal challenges through offending behaviour programmes
• Uphold respect for Prisoners, their property, rights and dignity
• Act as Personal Officer to a group of Prisoners
http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/careersandjobs/becomingaprisonofficer/prisonofficerjobdescription/
The Usual Suspects...
Role ambiguity
Role overload
Training
Management styles/ accountability/feedback
Shift patterns and working hours
Work Life balance
The inside storyP.O’s have more than the usual job stressors to deal with...
Locks....Locks....And more locks! – What other environment is akin to a prison?
Violence against staff is not uncommon – 121% increase in assaults on female prison officers since 2000, with the number rising from 232 to 513. Male prisons saw a 58% increase in attacks on officers, up from 1,767 in 2000 to 2,804 in 2006.
They also suffer from a less than favourable reputation in society
‘Hardcore’ culture
Public ignorance
Media bias, and press storms.
"should review its capability to carry out night time clinical observations of prisoners in the Healthcare Centre".
“inadequate reception health screen, incomplete communication of Stephen's behaviour at court and a poorly prepared physical environment, meant little was done to safeguard him."
They clearly have a duty of care towards every prisoner, and they clearly failed in Stephen's case."
STRESS!!A logical conclusion?
Burnout - Emotional regulation depersonalises staff
-Burnout is shown to be a product of the environment, not personal characteristics
Unable to regulate emotions – Ennui and apathy set in Lowered job satisfaction- Job roles become more stressful- Stress and Burnout
High social support is a vital component to lowering stress levels....But....Presence of stressors in the workplace can lead to decrease in altruistic behaviour towards colleagues
Environment and Stress
Noise-Angry and stressed people will become significantly more aggressive when subjected to uncontrollable noise (Donnerstein and Wilson 76)
Heat-’Long hot summer effect’ – The hotter the temperature, the more aggressive people become
Crowding-Intensifies reactions, causes stimulus overload, and removes perceived control over situations.
-As of 30 June 2009, 86 prison establishments in England and Wales (61% of the estate) were overcrowded. In 13 of these establishments the population was at least 150% of the CNA figure.
Psychosocial work environment and Sickness (Rugulies et al 2007)
Emotional Demands
Low support from supervisors
Role conflict
High client contact
Exposure to violence and threats
All mediating factors to increasing sickness absence.
Coping Strategies
Psychological-Counselling / talking it through
--Internal/ external locus of control
--Personality types Do type A’s actively search for stress?
Social-Perpetuating the lad culture through drinking Strengthens work relationships...weakens arteries
-Drugs ( Medication or otherwise?)
-Junk food , binge eating, and the obesity culture
-Cathartic violence (video games/ violent sports)
Cardio Vascular Disease
Stress responses leading to increased blood pressure
Suppression of immune system inhibition of growth damage to muscle tissue ...all symptoms of long term exposure to stress hormones
Coping styles that include drink and fatty foods add cholesterol and fats to the body and bloodstream.
A job full of stressors + Fatty Foods + More stress +drink = Heart attack and stroke likelihood increased dramatically
Work/Life balance
-Physically separated partners suffer loss of sleep and increase in anxiety-Sleep is a buffer against stress and discomfort-Sleep deprivation leads to decrease in concentration, efficiency and swings in mood
-Is it possible to switch off?
“Is there a doctor in the house?”
-Social and physical activities allow for time to recover from the effort of the day- Recovery allows for reduced fatigue and greater well- being
Depression and PTSD
Burnout and emotional dissonance exacerbated by ongoing job stress-Depression characterised by ennui and apathy
Stress in decision authoritypsychological demandsjob insecuritysocial support from superior and co-workers
– All positively correlated to formation of depression
Acute stress disorder caused by violent trauma
-Prisoner attacks on guards are not rare – Isolated but violent experiences-Psychological affect strengthens and drives forward cyclical relationship between stress and depression-Alters perceptions of emotion and moral direction
Occupational Health resources
Staff Care and Welfare teams for stress
Occupational Health Medical Adviser (OHMA) on site (But only in some prisons)
Health checks and NHS referrals
...Only implemented in the last few decades.
In Summary...
Prisons have gone through many dramatic shifts, and will continue to do so in the future
Media representations of prisons may form the only experience we ever have – But they cannot be trusted
Prison officers are subject to not only the usual job stressors, but the unique issues caused by the nature of their work
Health and well being is vital for quality of life, but is being adversely affected by the work we do.
References
• Donnerstein, E., Wilson, D. (1976) Effects of Noise and Perceived Control on Ongoing and Subsequent Aggressive Behaviour. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 34 (5) 774-781
• Diamond, L., Hicks, A., Otter-Henderson, K. (2008) Every time you go away: Changes in Affect, Behaviour, and Physiology Associated With Travel-Related Separations From Romantic Partners. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 95 (2) 385-403
• Holmes, S., MacInnes, D. (2003) Contributors to stress among Prison Service staff. The British journal of forensic practice 5 (2) 16-24
• Driskell, J., Salas, E., Johnston, J. (1999) Does stress lead to a loss of team perspective? Group dynamics: Theory, Research and Practice 3 (4) 291-302
• Wang, J., Patten, S. (2001) Perceived Work Stress and Major Depression in the Canadian Employed Population, 20-49 Years Old. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 6 (4) 283- 289
• Rugulies, R., Christensen, K., Borritz, M., Villadsen, E., Bultmann. U., Kristensen, T (2007) The contribution of the psychosocial work environment to sickness absence in human service workers: Results of a 3 yr follow up study. Work and stress 21 (4) 293-311
• Jex, s., Adams, G., Bachrach, D., Sorenson, S. (2003) The impact of situational constraints, role stressors and commitment on employee altruism. Journal of occupational health psychology 8 (3) 171-180
And some more...
• Schmidt, K., Neubach, B., Heuer,H. (2007) Self control demands, cognitive control deficits, and burnout. Work and stress 21 (2) 142-154
• Gerstein, L., Topp, C., Correll, G. (1987) The role of the environment and person when
predicting burnout among correctional personnel. Criminal justice and behaviour 14 (3) 352-369
• Owen, S. (2006) Occupational stress among correctional supervisors. The prison Journal 86 (2)
164-181 • Hamilton, N., Catley, D., Karlson, C.(2007) Sleep and the Affective Response to Stress and Pain.
Health psychology 26 (3) 288-295