Date of Award

Summer 8-1-2001

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Criminology & Criminal Justice

Abstract

For the past few decades, criminologists have evaluated the success of treatment programs as the primary strategy to identify the best ways to lower offender recidivism. In doing so, they have repeatedly overlooked staff burnout as a potential barrier to rehabilitation. Because past research in human service agencies in general and prisons in particular has found organizational and administrative shortcomings to have the greatest impact on job strain and discomfort, this exploratory study examined the relationship between administrative support and the burnout of prison treatment staff. Burnout, the dependent variable, was measured by a modified version of an exhaustion index used in previous correctional research. The administrator receiving attention was the deputy warden of special services, a manager positioned directly beneath the warden with broad authority over treatment operations. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed by mail in the summer of 2000 to mental health and substance abuse providers (N= 160) employed in 14 adult male prisons in a Midwestern state. Each prison was designated by the state department of corrections as partially or completely medium security. Usable surveys were returned by 83 people, representing 52% of the study population. The Pearson product moment correlation coefficient (Pearson's r) was utilized to test associations between variables. Results of univariate analysis indicated that approximately 8 percent of participants could be categorized as burned out, while nearly 22 percent revealed a vulnerability to the hazard. Opinions of the deputy wardens' support levels were divided; however, these managers were rated as most supportive in extending autonomy and as least supportive in giving acknowledgment to personnel. As predicted, bivariate and multivariate analyses revealed that weaker perceptions of support from the deputy warden of special services were linked to higher exhaustion scores. Particular indicators of administrative support that were inversely and significantly correlated with burnout included resource support, extension of autonomy, receptiveness to staff job input, endorsement of treatment, and feedback. Feeling at risk of being physically attacked and less frequent interaction with inmates were also related to staff exhaustion. Suggestions on how to improve administrative support and recommendations for further research are discussed in the final chapter.

Download

Share

COinS