Exploring the Social-Emotional Challenges of Dutch Correctional Staff Working With Violent Detainees
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21373284 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ellen van der Vorst (0000-0003-0633-9788, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, corresponding author), Frank Stolzenbach (Penitentiary Institution Vught, Vught, The Netherlands), Jolien van Aar (0000-0001-9751-4718, Van Montfoort, Woerden, The Netherlands), Marie Vere van Koppen (0000-0002-4568-6435, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Niki C Kuin (0000-0001-5080-1904, Penitentiary Institution Vught, Vught, The Netherlands), Joke M Harte (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-06 |
| 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 | 10.1177/00328855261457035 |
| OpenAlex | W7163744677 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 44 |
This qualitative study explored the social-emotional challenges of correctional staff working with violent detainees, together with their perceived collegial and organizational support. Since discussing such challenges is generally taboo among correctional staff, rigorous methodological strategies were employed to ensure safety and confidentiality, resulting in interviews with the majority of the multidisciplinary staff at the Dutch Facility for Uncontrollably Violent Detainees. Applying thematic analysis to transcripts, the results revealed significant opportunities to enhance staff's social-emotional well-being, highlighting that emotional safety, collegial interaction, and organizational support are more critical concerns than the violent population itself
Multidisciplinary approach · Occupational safety and health · Population · Qualitative research · Taboo · Thematic analysis · Workplace violence · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Forgiveness and Related Behaviors · Torture, Ethics, and Law
Extending Epistemology within a Co-operative Inquiry
Job Involvement, Job Stress, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment and the Burnout of Correctional Staff
A typology of prison officer approaches to care
“This Place Will Wear You Down”
Stressed Out in Lock Down
The Implications of Stress Among Correctional Officers
Prisons and Mental Health
Exploring the Criminal Life Course of Uncontrollably Violent Detained Persons
Exploring the Effects of Multiple Dimensions of Organizational Justice on Correctional Staff Job Stress
Understanding PTSD in Correctional Staff
Intervention mapping as a guide to developing, implementing, and evaluating stigma reduction interventions
Understanding and addressing stigma through qualitative research
When Our Work Hits Home
Social support's relationship to correctional staff job stress, job involvement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment
The accumulated impact of direct and indirect workplace violence exposure on mental health and physiological activity among correctional officers
Correctional officers as participants
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Co-operative inquiry
| Highly cited | No |
|---|