“You have to be really careful, in this environment, of what you say and what you do”: A qualitative examination of how organizational culture shapes parole officers' work and well-being
| Published date | 01 December 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/02645505221127184 |
| Author | Rosemary Ricciardelli,Katharina Maier,Mark Norman |
| Date | 01 December 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
“You have to be really
careful, in this
environment, of what
you say and what you
do”: A qualitative
examination of how
organizational culture
shapes parole officers’
work and well-being
Rosemary Ricciardelli
Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
Katharina Maier
University of Winnipeg, Canada
Mark Norman
McMaster University, Canada
Abstract
Drawing on existing literature on organizational culture in correctional work, in the
current article we augment scholarship on community correctional services, specific-
ally parole work, by considering how organizational culture, as narrated by frontline
parole officers, impacts parole officers”feelings toward their work and their own
health and well-being. Using the insights gained from 150 qualitative interviews
with parole officers across Canada, we empirically show how participants described
organizational culture as (1) imbued with social networks and hierarchies and (2)
Corresponding Author:
Rosemary Ricciardelli, Sociology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, W3023, 155 Ridge Road,
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, A1C 5R3.
Email: rricciardell@mun.ca, rose.ricciardelli@mi.mun.ca
Article The Journal of Communit
y
and Criminal Justice
Probation Journal
2023, Vol. 70(4) 385–405
© The Author(s) 2022
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/02645505221127184
journals.sagepub.com/home/prb
inherently reactive. We then provide insight into their perceived relationships with
management. Participants explained they largely felt uncomfortable voicing concerns
or making suggestions for improvements, in addition to feeling their work did not
receive the respect and appreciation it deserved. We draw attention to the implica-
tions of perceptions on parole officers’feelings toward their job and sense of self,
as well as the potential impact of organizational culture on parole officers’feelings
of safety and emotional well-being on the job.
Keywords
organizational culture, parole, occupational stress, management
Introduction
Organizational culture, as defined by Brackin (2007: 16) and informed by Crawley
(2004), refers to “the norms, values, beliefs, and behaviors that define an agency’s
character.”Organizational culture builds on broader understandings of culture,
defined as the “accumulated shared learning of a given group, covering behavioral,
emotional, and cognitive elements of the group members’total psychological func-
tioning”(Brackin, 2007: 10). Culture within organizations is fundamental to how
employees experience their work environments. Culture can cause havoc or
create a toxic work environment, but can also contribute to a positive workspace.
Researchers have studied culture(s) among correctional officers (e.g., Arnold
et al., 2007; Crichton and Ricciardelli, 2016; Liebling et al., 2010; Ricciardelli,
2019; Ricciardelli and Power, 2020) and others working within prison spaces
(e.g., Lugo, 2016; Mclean and Liebling, 2007). However, there remains minimal
research on parole officer (PO) culture(s)
1
, including of POs working in institutions
or in the community. Mawby and Worrall (2011) argue that while probation cul-
tures differ (e.g., between urban and rural probation contexts) and are subject to
change and transformation, it is still important to understand the general elements
that span probation cultures and that impact the work of frontline probation officers.
That is because occupational culture informs how probation staff make sense of their
occupational work, whether they feel fulfilled at work, how they cope with their work
environment, and how they experience their physical work space. Culture should be
considered in how and why frontline penal workers do their job (Mawby and
Worrall, 2011). The authors conclude that “probation cultures are complex, but,
if properly understood, do not undermine the objectives of offender management
nor need they be feared by management, the government or the media”(Mawby
and Worrall, 2011: 27). Thus, studying organizational culture provides understand-
ing not only the frontline realities of correctional workers, but also the need for organ-
izational change that can improve working conditions for staff.
In Canada’s federal prison system, institutional parole officers (IPOs) work within
the 43 federal prisons, while community parole officers (CPOs) work in the commu-
nity at day reporting centers, community correctional centers, and parole offices. In
total, working across these carceral spaces are over 1400 POs, who, regardless of
386 Probation Journal 70(4)
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