Correctional officers as human services workers: The effect on job satisfaction

Abstract

Recent findings that job satisfaction is associated with the intrinsic aspects of the job suggest that increased levels of job satisfaction among correctional officers may be obtained by redefining and expanding the officers' duties and responsibilities. Indeed, a “human services worker” model has been advocated as a means of job enrichment for correctional officers. The association of human services work with job satisfaction is discussed, and hypothesized relationships are tested with survey data obtained from state correctional officers in Arizona. The effects of job type on job satisfaction among correctional officers is explored; the results suggest that the type of job conditions the effects of other factors on job satisfaction.