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Staff turnover poses challenges for many correctional organizations. Though a growing body of research exists on turnover intention in adult corrections, few studies have examined the topic in juvenile corrections, and none have measured organizational commitment-a variable known to predict turnover intent in adult corrections. Using survey data, this study examines the utility of personal characteristics, work environment variables, and job attitudes in predicting intentions of staff in juvenile correctional facilities to quit their jobs within 12 months following survey administration. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment were the best predictors. In turn, considerable variability in these two job attitudes was explained by work environment variables. Implications are discussed for future research and for improving the work environment to better control turnover.

Although there is minimal research on job turnover among staff working in juvenile correctional facilities, turnover continues to be a costly problem with far reaching ramifications. This study examined 12-month turnover (operationalized in terms of resignations) among 13 successive cohorts of 475 staff who completed a basic training academy over a 3-year period. Turnover approached one quarter and was most probable during the first 6 months following academy completion. Seven demographic and nine work-related predictors were analyzed, including measures of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Only one variable predicted turnover. Turnover was significantly less likely among staff displaying satisfaction with coworkers. The findings imply that turnover among newer employees might be curtailed through programs such as staff mentoring implemented during the first 6 to 9 months of a new employee's tenure to foster positive coworker relations.

There have been relatively few studies of job stress among staff of juvenile correctional facilities. The Job Stress subscale of the Prison Social Climate Survey, which has been used extensively in studies of adult facility staff, was completed by 443 staff (72.1% of those surveyed) working in residential placement facilities and group homes operated by the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. Job stress scores were regressed on a wide range of potential predictors. The significant predictor variables were all related to the work environment; background variables had no predictive utility. Lower staff stress was predicted by organizational satisfaction and commitment, job satisfaction, and sense of personal efficacy. Staff who perceived less danger in the work environment and those who did not supervise other staff reported lower stress. Implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.

Probationers and parolees have a reduced expectation of privacy. In most states, they are subject to searches by their supervising probation or parole officer without prior notice or cause. However, for law enforcement officers, their ability to search a probationer or parolee can be constrained by the need to articulate probable cause or a reasonable suspicion. This legal review examines federal and state laws, providing guidance on when law enforcement officers can search probationers/parolees, and whether it requires probable cause, a reasonable suspicion, or the presence of the supervising probation/parole officer. Results of the legal review should prove especially informative for agencies engaged in multiagency partnerships.

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It remains unclear how pervasive police-community corrections partnerships are, and to what extent they are integrated into routine practice, as well as whether or not police chiefs and chief probation or parole officers within the same jurisdictions perceive them to be effective. The current study enhances our understanding of such partnerships between police and probation or parole. Data were collected through a statewide survey of a random sample of municipal police chiefs and county chief probation or parole officers in Pennsylvania. The primary research questions focus on identifying the following: (a) empirically derived and meaningful patterns of police-community corrections partnerships, (b) a comparison of police chief and chief probation or parole officer perceptions of benefits and problems regarding their partnerships, and (c) the predictors of these perceptions. Results reveal that such partnerships are prevalent, but they are predominantly informal, with formalization largely contingent on the progressiveness of the police chief (i.e., newer police chiefs were more likely to engage in formalized partnerships). Further, the crime prevention and recidivism reduction potential of these partnerships remain unclear from the perspectives of both law enforcement and community supervision leaders. In general, Pennsylvania police chiefs are less favorable to the partnerships than are the chiefs of probation or parole offices, and certain partnership types relate to the negative perceptions of some agency leaders. The implications of the findings reported here for policies, training, and future research are discussed.

For several decades time studies have been used as a decision making tool in criminal justice settings to assist in staffing allocation decisions. Despite their prevalence, these studies have rarely been documented in empirical journals or subjected to peer-review. Publication bias is a likely issue, with only those providing favorable results reaching a public audience. This study reviews the literature and documents a time study of probation and parole officer workloads conducted in a rural Western state. Results reveal probation and parole relies heavily on office-based interactions with probationers and parolees. An over-reliance on compliance enforcement, substantiated by other research in the state, suggests the transition to evidencebased practices and programs remains an ongoing and challenging process as officers continue to cope with caseloads that exceed national recommendations.