Advertisement

Workplace Bullying, Emotional Abuse and Harassment in Corrections

  • Matthew RitzmanEmail author
Living reference work entry
First Online:
Part of the Handbooks of Workplace Bullying, Emotional Abuse and Harassment book series (HWBEAH, volume 4)

Abstract

This chapter is a comprehensive overview of the scholarship that has been published analysing bullying, emotional abuse and harassment in the field of corrections. Corrections is an important component of the criminal justice system and constitutes an expensive, complex, multilayered environment. Correctional workers interact and manage inmates who can be uncooperative, manipulative or even violent. Given the stressors that already exist in the correctional environment, like conflict between inmates, prison and jail overcrowding, low compensation for staff and working weekends and holidays, bullying only serves to make the work environment more difficult and complicated. This chapter will separately address how this phenomenon impacts both staff and inmates in corrections. This chapter will establish the impact of this research on practice. Finally, this chapter will suggest directions for future research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. Ayoko, O. B., Callan, V. J., & Hartel, C. E. J. (2003). Workplace conflict, bullying, and counter-productive behaviors. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 11, 283–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Björkqvist, K. (1994). Sex differences in physical, verbal, and indirect aggression: A review of recent research. Sex Roles, 30, 177–188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Björkqvist, K., Lagerspetz, K. M. J., & Kaukiainen, A. (1992). Do girls manipulate and boys fight? Developmental trends in regard to direct and indirect aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 18, 117–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Brewer, G., & Whiteside, E. (2012). Workplace bullying and stress within the prison service. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 4(2), 76–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Cashmore, A., Indig, D., Hampton, S., Hegney, D., & Jalaludin, B. (2015). Factors influencing workplace violence risk among correctional health workers: Insights from an Australian study. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 22(5), 461–465.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Cassirer, N., & Reskin, B. (2000). High hopes: Organizational position, employment experiences, and women’s and men’s promotion aspirations. Work and Occupations, 27, 438.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Connell, A. (1997). Bullying among incarcerated young offenders. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge.Google Scholar
  8. Connell, A., & Farrington, D. (1996). Bullying among incarcerated young offenders: Developing an interview schedule and some preliminary results. Journal of Adolescence, 19(1), 75–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Connell, A., Farrington, D., & Ireland, J. (2016). Characteristics of bullies and victims among incarcerated male young offenders. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 8(2), 114–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Dalton, C. M. (2007). The bully down the hall. Business Horizons, 50, 89–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Demleitner, N. V., Berman, D. A., Miller, M. L., & Wright, R. F. (2018). Sentencing law and policy: Cases, statutes, and guidelines (4th ed.). New York: Wolters Kluwer.Google Scholar
  12. Edgar, K., & O’Donnell, I. (1998). Assaults in prison: The ‘victim’s’ contribution. British Journal of Criminology, 38, 635–650.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Edgar, K., O’Donnell, I., & Martin, C. (2003). Prison violence: The dynamics of conflict, fear and power. Cullompton: Willan Publishing.Google Scholar
  14. Einarsen, S., Raknes, B., & Matthiesen, S. (1994). Bullying and harassment at work and their relationships to work environment quality: An exploratory study. European Work and Organizational Psychology, 4, 381–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., & Notelaers, G. (2009). Measuring exposure to bullying and harassment at work: Validity, factor structure and psychometric properties of the Negative Acts Questionnaire–Revised. Work and Stress, 23(1), 24–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Ellis, A. (2009). Bullying in the workplace – An acceptable cost? www.workplacebullying.co.uk/aethesis.html. Accessed 25 Feb 2018.
  17. Gadon, L., Johnstone, L., & Cooke, D. (2006). Situational variables and institutional violence: A systematic review of the literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 515–534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Gibbons, J., & Nicholas, D. (2006). Commission on Safety & Abuse in American Prisons, confronting confinement. http://www.prisoncommission.org/pdfs/confronting_confinement.pdf. Accessed 1 Feb 2018.
  19. Gillespie, G., Gates, D., Miller, M., & Howard, P. (2010). Workplace violence in healthcare settings: Risk factors and protective strategies. Rehabilitation Nursing, 35, 177–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Griffin, M. L., Armstrong, G. S., & Hepburn, J. R. (2005). Correctional officer’s perceptions of equitable treatment in the masculinized prison environment. Criminal Justice Review, 30, 189–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Hall, D. J. (2012, December 10). Oakhill guard’s suicide shakes up family, prison. Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved August 26, 2017, from http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/oakhill-guard-s-suicide-shakes-up-family-prison/article_b03536a4-515d-577d-83f7-ab012d5a5f8e.html
  22. Harassment. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2018, from https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/harassment.cfm
  23. Harvey, M., Treadway, D. C., & Heames, J. T. (2007). The occurrence of bullying in global organizations: A model and issues associated with social/emotional contagion. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37, 2576–2599.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Hoel, H., & Cooper, C. L. (2000). Destructive conflict and bullying at work. Manchester: University of Manchester Institute of Science and Psychology (UMIST).Google Scholar
  25. Huebner, B. (2003). Administrative determinants of inmate violence: A multi-level analysis. Journal of Criminal Justice, 31, 107–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. Ireland, J. L. (1999a). Pro-victim attitudes and empathy in relation to bullying behaviour among prisoners. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 4(1), 51–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Ireland, J. L. (1999b). Bullying behaviours among male and female prisoners: A study of adult and young offenders. Aggressive Behavior, 25(3), 161–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Ireland, J. L., & Ireland, C. A. (2003). How do offenders define bullying? A study of adult, young and juvenile male offenders. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 8, 159–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Ireland, J. L., & Ireland, C. A. (2008). Intra-group aggression among prisoners: Bullying intensity and exploration of victim-perpetrator mutuality. Aggressive Behavior, 34, 76–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. Ireland, J., & Power, C. (2004). Attachment, emotional loneliness, and bullying behaviour: A study of adult and young offenders. Aggressive Behavior, 30(4), 298–312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Ireland, J. L., Ireland, C. A., & Power, C. (2016). Attitudes towards prisoner-to-prisoner bullying and the association with prison environments: Examining the components. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 8(2), 124–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. Johnson, K. (2018, February 13). As federal prisons run low on guards, nurses and cooks are filling in. USA Today. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/13/ill-equipped-and-inexperienced-hundreds-civilian-staffers-assigned-guard-duties-federal-prison-secur/316616002/
  33. Jordan, N. (2014, August 8). Prison bullies are taking food from weaker inmates. Medway Messenger.Google Scholar
  34. Justice Health. (2011). Focusing on care: Action plan. Sydney: Justice Health.Google Scholar
  35. Kieseker, R., & Marchant, T. (1999). Work place bullying in Australia: A review of current conceptualizations and existing research. Australian Journal of Management and Organizational Behaviour, 2(5), 61–75.Google Scholar
  36. Kim, A.-S., Devalve, M., Elizabeth, Q. D., & Johnson, W. W. (2003). Women wardens: Results from a national survey of state correctional executives. The Prison Journal, 83, 406–425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. Kiriakidis, S. (2010). Bullying in penal settings: Empirical findings and suggestions for future research. Journal of Behaviour Analysis in Offender and Victim Treatment, 2(2), 124–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  38. Kozlowska, H. (2017, February 17). Female prison workers, harassed by inmates and ignored by bosses, stood up for their rights – and won. Quartz. Retrieved September 14, 2017, from https://qz.com/910810/female-prison-workers-harassed-by-inmates-and-ignored-by-bosses-stood-up-for-their-rights-and-won/
  39. Kury, H., & Smartt, U. (2002). Prisoner-on-prisoner violence: Victimization of young offenders in prison. Some German findings. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2, 411–437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  40. Lahm, K. F. (2007). Inmate-on-inmate assault: A multilevel examination of prison violence. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 35, 120–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  41. Lambert, E., Altheimer, I., & Hogan, N. (2010). Exploring the relationship between social support and job burnout among correctional staff. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37, 1217–1236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. LaVan, H., & Martin, W. M. (2007). Bullying in the US work place: Normative and process-oriented ethical approaches. Journal of Business Ethics, 83, 147–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Maguire, K. (Ed.). (2014). Sourcebook of criminal justice statistics [Online]. Retrieved from http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/
  44. Mai, C., & Subramanian, R. (2017, May). The price of prisons: Examining state spending trends, 2010–2015. Retrieved July 30, 2018, from https://www.vera.org/publications/price-of-prisons-2015-state-spending-trends
  45. Maitland, A. S., & Sluder, R. D. (1998). Victimization and youthful prison inmates: An empirical analysis. The Prison Journal, 78, 55–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  46. McCorkle, R. C., Miethe, T. D., & Drass, K. A. (1995). The roots of prison violence: A test of the deprivation, management, and “not-so-total” institution models. Crime and Delinquency, 41, 317–331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  47. McMahon, M. (1999). Women on guard: Discrimination and harassment in corrections. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
  48. Mutchnick, R. J., & Fawcett, M. (1991). Group home environments and victimization of resident juveniles. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 35(2), 126–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  49. NSW Department of Health. (2003). Zero tolerance policy and framework guidelines. North Sydney: NSW Department of Health.Google Scholar
  50. Power, K. G., Dyson, G. P., & Wozniak, E. (1997). Bullying among Scottish young offenders: Inmates’ self-reported attitudes and behaviour. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 7(3), 209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  51. Rader, N. (2005). Surrendering the solidarity: Considering the relationships among women correctional officers. Women & Criminal Justice, 16, 27–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  52. Rayner, C. H., Hoel, H., & Cooper, C. L. (2002). Work place bullying: What we know, who is to blame, and what we can do? London: Taylor and Francis.Google Scholar
  53. Reisig, M. (1998). Rates of disorder in higher-custody state prisons: A comparative analysis of managerial practices. Crime and Delinquency, 44, 229–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  54. Reisig, M. (2002). Administrative control and inmate homicide. Homicide Studies, 6(1), 84–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  55. Ricciardelli, R. (2014). Investigating how male prisoners manage the threat of victimization in federal prisons. The Prison Journal, 4(94), 411–434.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  56. Ritzman, M. (2014). Human resource professionals and workplace bullying: A systems approach to performance improvement intervention in criminal justice agencies. Theses and Dissertation. http://utdr.utoledo.edu/theses-dissertations/1669
  57. Ritzman, M. (2016). Bullying behind bars: A preliminary study of human resource professionals and workplace bullying in corrections. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 8(2), 137–146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  58. Salin, D. (2008). The prevention of work place bullying as a question of human resource management: Measures adopted and underlying organizational factors. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 24(3), 221–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  59. Saunders, P., Huynh, A., & Goodman-Delahunty, J. (2007). Defining workplace bullying behavior professional lay definitions of workplace bullying. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 30(4–5), 340–354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  60. Savicki, V., Cooley, E., & Gjesvold, J. (2003). Harassment as a predictor of job burnout in corrections officers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 30, 602–619.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  61. Sekol, I., & Farrington, D. P. (2015). Psychological and background correlates of bullying in adolescent residential care. Journal of Social Work, 16(4).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  62. Sekol, I., & Farrington, D. P. (2016). Personal characteristics of bullying victims in residential care for youth. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 8(2), 99–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  63. South, C. R., & Wood, J. (2006). Bullying in prisons: The importance of perceived social status, prisonization, and moral disengagement. Aggressive Behavior, 32, 490–501.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  64. Stohr, M. K., & Walsh, A. (2015). Corrections: The essentials. London: Sage.Google Scholar
  65. Vartia, M., & Hyyti, J. (2002). Gender differences in workplace bullying among prison officers. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 11(1), 113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  66. Vega, G., & Comer, D. R. (2005). Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can break your spirit: Bullying in the work place. Journal of Business Ethics, 58, 101–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  67. Wolff, N., Blitz, C. L., Shi, J., Siegel, J., & Bachman, R. (2007). Physical violence inside prisons: Rates of victimization. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34, 588–599.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  68. Zimmer, L. E. (1986). Women guarding men. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.University of ToledoToledoUSA

Personalised recommendations

Cite entry