Why corrections? Motivations for becoming a Canadian provincial or territorial correctional officer
| Date | 04 December 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-01-2017-0001 |
| Pages | 274-286 |
| Published date | 04 December 2017 |
| Author | Rose Ricciardelli,Krystle Martin |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology |
Why corrections? Motivations for
becoming a Canadian provincial or
territorial correctional officer
Rose Ricciardelli and Krystle Martin
Abstract
Purpose –The growing prison population and challenges related to recruiting and retaining suitable
correctional officers (COs) in Canada provided the impetus for the current study. Recruitment efforts in
provinces and territories often rely on a variety of diverse testing, ranging from physical fitness to in-person
interviews. However, despite such efforts, turn-over rates remain high and insight into what motivates people
to seek a career in correctional work continues to require elucidation. By investigating the career development
of COs, the purpose of this paper is to understand why certain men seek employment in this field.
Design/methodology/approach –Data are derived from in-depth semi-structured interviews with male
officers (n ¼41) who have employment experience in provincial correctional facilities.
Findings –Respondents discussed their initial motivations for entering the field and their career ambitions.
Some enteredcorrections because they lackedalternative options for employment,others as a stepping stone
for a differentjustice-oriented occupationsuch as policing or parole. Many weremotivated by the income and
benefits or had a specific vocational self-identity toward correctional work. However, nearly all respondents
indicatedthat, over time, they no longer felttheir rate of pay justly reflected the demandsof the occupation, thus
factors motivatingfield entry fail to materialize in ways that sustain long-term employee retention.
Practical implications –CO recruitment should target individuals with interest in the field of justice more
broadly. Occupational demands of the CO occupation need to be addressed to reduce turnover.
Recruitment should focus not only on new graduates but also be directed toward more mature individuals.
The impact of resource intensive interview processes for candidates on turnover rates needs to be evaluated.
Originality/value –The authors’focus on COs with employment experience in provincial and territorial
correctional facilities, rather than federal, is justified by the lack of research on and the high rate of CO turnover
in such facilities. After exploring the qualitative responses of officers, clear themes emerged that align well with
natural socio-ecological systems: the self, family and community, and wider society.
Keywords Prisons, Motivation, Career development, Training/professionalization, Custody, Corrections,
Correctional officers
Paper type Research paper
“Tough on crime”legislation (i.e. the passing of Bill C-10 in 2012) brought about mandatory
minimums and longer sentences, while earlier legislation removed double-time for time served for
remanded prisoners (i.e. Bill C-25, Truth in Sentencing Act, 2009; Casavant and Valiquet, 2009).
More specifically, in 2013/2014, according to Statistics Canada, there were an average of
36,845 adults incarcerated, 21,704 of whom were housed in provincial/territorial centers
(Statistics Canada, 2015). Changing trends in the size of the prison population and associated
complexities with more double bunking and increasing penal violence (Sapers, 2011, 2013) have
left governments financially, and from a training perspective, burdened –realities that ultimately
influence community safety. The growing prison population in Canada has resulted in increased
pressure to recruit suitable and effective correctional staff.
Historically,individuals may have been drawnto prison, or as known in Canada correctional, work
due to the low academic requirements,such as a high school diplomaor correctional certification,
and steady government wages (Bensimon, 2005). But governments in recent years have raised
the bar in terms of the academicexpectations of incoming officers and efforts are made to recruit
Received 6 January 2017
Revised 13 March 2017
Accepted 28 April 2017
Rose Ricciardelli is an
Associate Professor and a
Coordinator of Criminology
at the Department of Sociology,
Memorial
University of Newfoundland,
St John’s, Canada.
Krystle Martin is a Research
Scientist at Forensic Program,
Ontario Shores Centre for
Mental Health Sciences,
Whitby, Canada.
PAGE274
j
JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICE
j
VOL. 3 NO. 4 2017, pp.274-286, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-3841 DOI 10.1108/JCRPP-01-2017-0001
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