Understanding corrections officer safety in Aotearoa New Zealand

Working as a corrections officer can be challenging; in addition to navigating occupational hazards in a complex environment, corrections officers are also at risk of being verbally and physically assaulted by prisoners. As such, corrections officers report high rates of physical injury and report high levels of symptoms of psychological and stress-related disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD, burnout). Corrections officers undergo the necessary task of managing prisoners and ensuring their needs are met, while risking their own safety and wellbeing to do so.

Previous research has established that characteristics of prisoners, of officers, and of the prison environment contribute to the safety and wellbeing of corrections officers; however, this research is not cohesive because studies typically examine only one type of characteristic (e.g., only prisoner characteristics or only officer characteristics, but not both). Likewise, some research examines strategies to improve corrections officer wellbeing, but again, this research is fragmented and limited in the sense that it focuses primarily on physical wellbeing and omits the emotional, social, and spiritual wellbeing of officers. Therefore, in this thesis, we sought to examine multiple factors of prison work that may decrease the safety of corrections officers and identify strategies that may increase corrections officer overall wellbeing.

SPEAKER

Samantha Taaka is a PhD candidate in Psychology in Te Kura Whatu Oho Mauri the School of Psychological and Social Sciences at the University of Waikato. Her research primarily focuses on prison violence and corrections officer safety, and her interests also include organisational violence, family harm, and intimate partner violence. Samantha currently works as a Research Assistant to the Inspector of Custodial Services in New South Wales, Australia.