The First Year Behind Bars
Trauma and Shifts in Correctional Officer Orientation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21373271 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Emily M Stefhon (0009-0001-1686-6824, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA, corresponding author), Meghan M Mitchell (0000-0002-9275-893X, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA), Marcella Siqueira Cassiano (0000-0001-8399-4431, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), Rosemary Ricciardelli (0000-0002-0905-8968, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 106 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 245-269 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Prison Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0032-8855 • E-ISSN: 1552-7522 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00328855251413765 |
| OpenAlex | W7125780221 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 53 |
This study explores how correctional officer (CO) orientations evolve during the first year of employment and the role of trauma in shaping these shifts. Drawing on interviews with 47 Canadian federal recruits from the Correctional Workers Well-Being, Organizations, Roles, and Knowledge (CCWORK) project, we thematically coded narratives and analyzed orientation trajectories with descriptive statistics, Sankey diagrams, and chi-square tests. Results showed sharp declines in rehabilitative views, modest decreases in punitive views, and rising custodial perspectives. Trauma exposure (68%) significantly predicted erosion of rehabilitative orientations. Findings underscore trauma as a key driver of ideological change and the need for trauma-informed support
Ideology · Narrative · Officer · Orientation (vector space) · Punitive damages · Child Abuse and Trauma · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
Revisiting Mixed Methods Research Designs Twenty Years Later
Sexuality, Masculinity, and Taint Management Among Firefighters and Correctional Officers
Mental Disorder Symptoms among Public Safety Personnel in Canada
A typology of prison officer approaches to care
Organizational stressors associated with job stress and burnout in correctional officers
Stress and trauma among police officers
Prisons and their Moral Performance
Prevalence of PTSD, Depression and Anxiety Disorders in Correctional Officers
Exposures to correctional-specific potentially psychologically traumatic events among Ontario provincial correctional workers
When Our Work Hits Home
Punish or Reform? Predicting Prison Staff Punitiveness
Emotion and performance
The state of the job
Imprisonment Rates and the New Politics of Criminal Punishment
Jailed resources
Social support's relationship to correctional staff job stress, job involvement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment
Race and correctional officers' punitive attitudes toward treatment programs for inmates
The impact of distributive and procedural justice on correctional staff job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment
Correctional officer attitudes toward inmates and working with inmates in a “get tough” era
Prison Officer Legitimacy, Their Exercise of Power, and Inmate Rule Breaking
Individual and Organizational Determinants of Correctional Officer Attitudes Toward Inmates
Correctional officer turnover intentions and mental illness symptom
The Consequences of Emotional Burnout Among Correctional Staff
The Impact of Correctional Officer Perceptions of Inmates on Job Stress
Integrating the Keepers
How Many Interviews Are Enough
Qualitative Data Analysis After Coding
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |