Criminology: Employee Satisfaction Within Prison

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Attitudes among employees in an organization

Attitudes among employees working in an organization refer to emotions that lead to either a negative or positive outlook on ones job and the workplace. Thus, ones attitude about their job is likely to affect their level of job satisfaction. Many factors affect the attitudes of employees in an organization. These are cultural influences, which relate to how ones culture perceives a given job, dispositional influences, which relate to ones personal characteristics and temperament levels, as well as work influences, which are mainly the conditions at the workplace (Saari & Judge, 2004). Bad attitudes among the prison staff may lead to poor performance. The performance can be measured through the accomplishment of their daily duties like enforcing security and equal rights for the prisoners, among others (House of Commons, 2009). However, these aspects may not be implemented owing to poor attitudes, leading to inadequate security and unfair treatment of the prisoners.

Further, the prisons work environment may be affected due to poor employee attitudes. When the staffs in the incarceration facility are rude to each other, hate each other, or discriminate against each other, it is likely that they will not respect each other too. Consequently, the working environment will be characterized by a lot of hostility. However, it is necessary that the employees of a given organization work together for the common good of the organization. Therefore, even though employees are not able to agree with one another or become friends, they should be able to enforce professionalism and a proper code of conduct at the workplace (Saari & Judge, 2004).

Poor attitudes among prison staff may be a sign of more problems such as poor job satisfaction and poor work environment, among others. In effect, this may escalate to high employee turnover. Ideally, every employee likes to work in an atmosphere where they are appreciated and happy. If poor attitudes are prevalent, then it is likely that most of the workers will desire to change jobs or switch careers for better opportunities.

Importance of employee satisfaction within this prison

It is important to ensure that the wardens in this prison are satisfied with their jobs. Notably, when employees are happy with their jobs, the results are compelling for the employers and the employees. In fact, when correctional staff members are satisfied with their jobs, they tend to have more commitment towards their duties, leading to better performance outcomes like better inmate-staff relationships, better prison conditions and standards, as well as secure environments. In one study, when the correctional staff exhibited high levels of job satisfaction, inmates stated that their environment was safe and free from the dangers of sexual assault (Lambert, Barton & Hogan, 1999). Further, when these prison wardens exhibit better job satisfaction, they also show a positive outlook of the incarcerated persons and a strong attitude to foster rehabilitation than punishment.

On the other hand, poor job satisfaction among the prison wardens significantly affects the negative behaviors of the employees. In effect, there is a strong connection between job satisfaction and organizational commitment (Lambert et al., 1999). There are several factors that point to poor employee satisfaction in a prison. The first is the nature of staff relations among the correctional staff. Workers who are satisfied with their work, as well as their work environment, tend to be more collaborative and work in teams. In the case study, it is seen that most of the staff do not get along with each other. In fact, they tend to alienate themselves according to their racial identities.

The third is the level of security in prison. Notably, when there is high safety in prison, the inmates and the wardens tend to get along better, meaning that there is a degree of respect among these persons. In this case, however, the prison has a compromised level of security involving reduced job satisfaction.

Another issue is the degree of absenteeism due to minimal job satisfaction; the wardens are less committed to their jobs and responsibilities. Thus, whenever there is training, most of them do not report to work.

Type of plan to implement to address the problems within the prison

A fundamental issue that is affecting the functions of the prison is job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is lost because the prison workers are no longer motivated in their work. In effect, one of the main plans that I would put in place to ensure that the work is done effectively is to improve the morale of the staff. Among the things that I would do so is to enforce training and education programs in the facility. It is imperative that the correctional staff is trained from time to time as matters involving inmates incarceration are continuously evolving (Hartman, 2003). Resultantly, the officers should undergo continuous training to ensure better protection for the prisoners and themselves. However, the only way to ensure that the employees are considering what they have learned in training is through supervision.

Training will ensure commitment to an ethical code of conduct in the workplace, as well as foster an understanding of the organization and its responsibilities. Also, educational plans will encourage the wardens to undertake further on-the-job education to understand better their functions in the facility (Hartman, 2003). When employees are invited to improve their knowledge on the issues they face in their jobs, they can combat boredom and utilize their free time productively. Further, they can understand diversity issues, as well as develop proactive approaches to problems within their environment. A tuition reimbursement program would be ideal for all employees that would choose to further their education.

Another plan that would work in the facility is the establishment of a mission statement, rules, and procedures. One critical factor that affects the performance of this organization may be the directives in place. For instance, when no mission statement is available, employees lack the necessary information to help them perform their duties (Hartman, 2003). Therefore, one of the things that the prison must do is to derive a mission statement and explain it to the staff to help them understand the direction the facility is operating. Further, it is imperative that the procedures and rules of operation are established within the facility to inform the staff on what to do when to do it, and how to do it. Therefore, every staff will be obligated to behave in line with the rules and regulations of the organization, as well as deliver in line with the stipulated procedures. The ethical criteria for decision-making that best suits this case are the utilitarian approach. This approach to decision-making ensures that the moral decision enforced utilizes a common good for the majority. The reason this approach is the best fit is that the decision-maker can analyze the effects of every decision to both the prison staff and the prisoners and decide on one that ensures the optimal satisfaction of all the parties involved.

Innovative solutions that could be used to address the problems within the prison

Several innovative solutions can be applied to solving the problems in prison. For racial discrimination, innovative approaches can be borrowed from other places that have used the same and succeeded. One such place is the California Department of Correction. The first crucial step would be to evaluate the inmates previous criminal, as well as an incarceration history. This would help to ensure that the inmate does not have any enemies with whom they might end up sharing the same facility or whether there is a need to take care of any other special security needs. Then, the inmates can be divided into about four racial categories of Whites, Blacks, Asians, and others.

Also, it is important to divide them into smaller groupings like the Hispanics who come from Southern and Northern California. Then, the prisoners should be put separately to avoid perpetual conflict. Normally, the entire prison would have to be entirely integrated, with the exception of the reception cells only. This variation in treatment is justifiable as the reception cell is usually unique and confines inmates for a greater part of the day. This makes it even more cumbersome for the prison staff to take control of the occurrences of the cell. While race is not commonly used as a factor towards determining which inmate will be assigned a single cell, those who are assigned to a double cell could be given the option to decide who they will share the room with. This will help to reduce cases of violence between cellmates, thereby giving them a conducive environment to be compatible. Inmates that are often assigned to dormitories are usually nonviolent and make it easier to have people of different races share the same dorm.

Technology can also be used in curbing violence in prison. For instance, the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a great idea that can be employed to keep track of the inmates and their whereabouts within the prison setup. Besides, a real-time location system known as the TSI Prism from the Black Creek Integrated Systems was designed specifically for correctional facilities like prisons. This technology can be used to identify or track the inmates location at any given time. In a case of violence, the staff/warden can be able to locate inmates that are known to be overly violent at any given time.

Recreational facilities such as modern gym equipment for keeping fit, television, and gaming machines can help reduce excesses within the prison.

Such activities can keep the prisoners occupied during free time and help them diffuse stress and anxiety, which cause them to look for relief avenues resulting that result in violence.

Performance and social arrangement norms in a prison

Social arrangement norms refer to loyalty formed on the basis of the informal groups that one is associated with, which in turn affects their social interactions with people in the group or outside the group. These are mainly the people that one associates with during lunch breaks, that one goes out with from the work environment, ones friends at the workplace, and much more. Therefore, norms that are formed in such circles may affect ones job satisfaction because it is through such relationships that social information processing takes place. Therefore, most employees tend to look at their coworkers as a source of information for developing attitudes concerning their work environment. Thus, job satisfaction or dissatisfaction is likely to arise depending on the feedback they attain from their coworkers. In effect, new people hired into the organization may have their attitudes tainted during such interactions. Thus, social information derived through social arrangement norms can affect the attitudes and behaviors of the employees.

On the other hand, conformity refers to an individuals ability to change their behavior and attitudes to conform to a groups norms. Specifically, conformity relates to change in the behavior of people owing to unspoken group pressures, meaning that people try to fit in the group. The effect of social arrangement norms on employees who are not conforming personality-wise is alienation. Ideally, social pressures present in such social groups force one to be consistent with the rules and standards of the group. To the individuals who fail to conform in this case, it is likely that they will earn the title of betrayers or people who are trying to please the authorities. Thus, it is likely that these employees will gain the hatred of the rest, be alienated from the larger group, and face discrimination in the workplace, among other negative issues.

References

Hartman, A. L. (2003). An examination of employee morale in correctional institutions. International Foundation for Protection Officers. Web.

House of Commons (2009). Role of the prison officer. Web.

Lambert, E. G., Barton, S. M., & Hogan, N. L. (1999). The missing link between job satisfaction and correctional staff behavior: The issue of organizational commitment. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 24(1), 95-116.

Saari, L. M., & Judge, T. A. (2004). Employee attitudes and job satisfaction. Human Resource Management, 43(4), 395-407.

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