THE EFFECTS OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESSORS ON JAIL STAFF JOB SATISFACTION

Abstract

ABSTRACT Jails, with their unique and ever-changing mix of inmates, play a critical role in the criminal justice system. Nevertheless, despite their uniqueness, jail staff are chronically understudied relative to police and prison staff. This study seeks to fill a gap in the literature related to jail studies by surveying staff at a large county jail system in Florida in order to determine the effects of work stressors and demographic characteristics on job satisfaction. Role ambiguity was the most significant antecedent of job satisfaction, followed by dangerousness, incentive programs, age, pay perceptions, and race. Similar results were found when a subsection of custody officers was analyzed; however, satisfaction with mandatory overtime requirements became significant, while incentive programs, age, and dangerousness failed to reach statistical significance.