Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson for Rudolph Ackermanns Microcosm of London 180811 The health and Well being of prison officers Aims and Objectives Provide a brief history of prisons and their portrayal through the media ID: 293038
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Slide1
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 Slide2
Aims and Objectives
Provide a brief history of prisons and their portrayal through the mediaOutline the basic training, and the job role of a prison officerDetail the issues, both psychological and physical that a prison officer will face.
(That's the plan anyway!)Slide3Slide4
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’Slide5
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 jobsSlide6Slide7Slide8Slide9Slide10
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 prisoners
1820s
The 'Bloody Code' Over 200 offences could be punished by hanging
1823
Gaol Act Prisons must be healthy, and that men and women prisoners are to be kept separate
1840
The 'Bloody Code' Only 5 crimes could now be punished by hanging
1854
Reformatory School Reform Schools are set up for children to stop them from committing crime again, and to teach them a trade
1857
Transportation stopped
1869
Imprisonment for Debt stopped
1877
National Prison Service – All prisons now controlled by the government
1900
Only 2 crimes now punishable by hanging
1964
Last men hanged for murder in the UK
1965
Death penalty abolished for murderSlide11
20
th Century prisons1895 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. Slide12Slide13
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 people
beds for 490 inmates
houses 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.Slide14Slide15
Pelican Bay
‘Super max’ prison (SHU)Design capacity- 2280Current population- 3461
Current number of staff- 1548 (492 of which are ‘support’) (2006/2007)
SHU implements 23 hour solitary lockdown
Prisoners allowed 1 hour outside cells
TV 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 batheSlide16Slide17Slide18Slide19Slide20
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 was
completely up to them.
2
nd
day – Riot broke out – All “guards” were called in to quash
Rebellion
Privilege cells, food shortages, psychological abuse and physical punishments all soon followed
2 week experiment called off after 6 days.Slide21Slide22
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.Slide23
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 training
Control and Restraint
Team building
Includes formal assessment
Week 8- ‘Establishment based training’Slide24Slide25
Care vs. Custody
Contribute effectively to the safe and secure custody of Prisoners.Prepare reports as required in a timely mannerFollow set procedures for dealing with Prisoner applicationsComply with audit requirementsApply 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
/Slide26
The Usual Suspects...
Role ambiguityRole overloadTraining
Management styles/ accountability/feedback
Shift patterns and working hours
Work Life balanceSlide27
The inside story
P.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.Slide28
"
should review its capability to carry out night time clinical observations of prisoners in the Healthcare Centre".Slide29
“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."Slide30Slide31Slide32Slide33
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
Slide34
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. Slide35
Psychosocial work environment and Sickness (Rugulies et al 2007)
Emotional DemandsLow support from supervisors
Role conflict
High client contact
Exposure to violence and threats
All mediating factors to increasing sickness absence
.Slide36
Coping Strategies
PsychologicalCounselling / 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)Slide37
Cardio Vascular Disease
Stress responses leading to increased blood pressureSuppression 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 dramaticallySlide38
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- beingSlide39
Depression and PTSD
Burnout and emotional dissonance exacerbated by ongoing job stressDepression characterised by ennui and apathyStress in decision authoritypsychological demands
job insecurity
social 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 directionSlide40
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.Slide41Slide42Slide43Slide44
In Summary...
Prisons have gone through many dramatic shifts, and will continue to do so in the futureMedia 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.Slide45
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) 774-781Diamond, 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)
171-180Slide46
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