Operational and organisational stressors in community correctional work: Insights from probation and parole officers in Ontario, Canada
| Date | 01 March 2022 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0264550520984253 |
| Published date | 01 March 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Operational and
organisational stressors
in community correctional
work: Insights from
probation and parole
officers in Ontario, Canada
Mark Norman
McMaster University, Canada
Rosemary Ricciardelli
Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
Abstract
In the current article, we investigate the occupational stressors parole and probation
officers workingin provincial correctional servicesin Ontario, Canada experience. We
examine fourspecific stressors thatemerged thematically fromparticipants’ open-ended
survey responses, and conceptualize these as operational factors (i.e., the duties of the
job) or organisational factors (i.e., structural aspects of theorganisation in which parole
or probation officers work). Participants identified the operational stressor of exposure
to potentially psychologically traumatic events and secondary trauma, as well as three
predominant organisational stressors: paperwork and administrative tasks, insufficient
human resources, and workplace relationships and tensions. Drawing from literatures
on parole and probation,workplace stress, and organisational culturesand behaviours,
we analyse how thesestressors have detrimentalimpacts on the mental health and well-
being of community correctional workers, which in turn compromises their ability to
effectively supervise and support individuals on their caseload. Policy and well-being
implications are discussed.
Corresponding Author:
Rosemary Ricciardelli, Department of Sociology, Memorial Univer sity of Newfoundland, 4066, Arts
Building, 230 Elizabeth Ave, St. John’s, NL, Canada A1C 5S7.
Email: rricciardell@mun.ca
Probation Journal
ªThe Author(s) 2021
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/0264550520984253
journals.sagepub.com/home/prb
The Journal of Community and Criminal Justice
2022, Vol. 69(1) 86–106
Keywords
community correctional services, mental health, occupational stress, parole officers,
probation officers
Introduction
Probation and parole officers (PPOs) serve a foundational role in assisting prisoners
during their community reintegration after release from prison (Lutze, 2014;
Rhineberger-Dunn et al., 2016). In Canada, PPOs are employed within provincial
and territorial correctional systems and parole officers are largely employed fed-
erally. Within Ontario’s provincial correctional system, there are 119 probation
officers responsible for supervising approximately 41,000 individuals (Ministry of
the Solicitor General, 2019). The literature on Canadian community corrections is
limited, and researchers have tended to focus on the federal parole system rather
than provincial probation and parole services (e.g., Hannah-Moffat, 2004; Maier,
2020). Absent in the research on parole and probation in Canada is an in-depth
consideration of PPOs’ occupational experiences and the impact of said experi-
ences on their mental health, well-being, and ability to effectively perform their
public safety role. This is a notable gap, particularly given that, as part of the larger
occupational category of public safety personnel,
1
the mental health and well-being
of community correctional workers is of increasing concern to Canadian policy-
makers (Oliphant, 2016).
2
Outside of Canada, scholars (largely conducting their
research in the United States) have found that PPOs face a variety of occupational
challenges with significant implications for their mental health and well-being,
including exposure to stressful or potentially psychologically traumatic contact
with releasees (Gayman et al., 2018; Severson and Pettus-Davis, 2013) and
excessive administrative and caseload demands (DeMichele and Payne, 2007;
Farrow, 2004; Finn and Kuck, 2005; Simmons et al., 1997; Slate et al., 2003;
West and Seiter, 2004).
In the current study, following Duxbury et al.’s (2015) examination of stressors in
police organisations and Ricciardelli’s (2018) more recent study of Canadian rural
policing, we conceptualize stressors experienced by PPOs as emerging from either
operational factors (i.e., the duties of the job) or organisational factors (i.e., struc-
tural aspects of the organisation in which PPOs work). Specifically, analysing PPOs’
responses to open-ended survey items, we look to understand the organisational
and operational stressors faced by PPOs working in provincial correctional services
in Ontario, Canada. Our qualitative findings provide rich data on participants’
experiences of workplace stress arising from the operational and organisational
challenges faced by PPOs.
We structure the article in four sections. We begin with a review of scholarship
focused on the mental health of community correctional employees as well as their
experiences of diverse operational and organisational stressors. We explain our
study method, before presenting our results regarding the experiences of stressors
as expressed by provincial PPOs working in community settings in Ontario. We
87
Norman and Ricciardelli
To continue reading
Request your trial