‘Mobilizing’ prisoner reentry research: Halfway houses and the spatial-temporal dynamics of prison release

2021

Probation Journal

In the current article, we investigate the occupational stressors parole and probation officers working in provincial correctional services in Ontario, Canada experience. We examine four specific stressors that emerged thematically from participants’ 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 the organisation 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 cultures and behaviours, we analyse how these stressors have detrimental impacts 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.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Operational and organisational stressors in community correctional work: Insights from probation and parole officers in Ontario, Canada

Norman

2021

Probation Journal

“…Looking to Figure 1, the "best case" scenario focuses on conceptions of the PCSCs' future and on working toward creative long-lasting change (see also Maier, 2021). In other words, an orientation to "best case" scenario is an aspirational shift about an imagined future (Watkins et al, 2011, p. 282)-post release from prison-which is favorable to society and achieved through meaningful dialog between POs and their clientele (Duff, 2003(Duff, , 2021.…”

Section: Discussion: a Four-point Axis Of Tension In Parole Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parole Work in Canada: Tensions in Supervising People Convicted of Sex Crimes

Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol

Taylor

Maier

et al. 2023

Self Cite

Internationally, parole work is loaded with tensions, particularly when supervising a people convicted of sex crimes (PCSCs) who, due to their criminal history, are stigmatized and occupy the lowest rungs of the status hierarchy in prison and society more broadly. Drawing on analyses of interview data from federal parole officers ( n = 150) employed by Correctional Service Canada, we interpret their perceptions and feelings about overseeing re-entry preparations and processes for the PCSCs on their caseloads. We unpack the “tensions” imbued in parole officers’ internal reflections and negotiation of complexities in their efforts toward supporting client’s rehabilitation efforts, desistance from crime while negotiating external factors (e.g., the lack of available programming), and being responsible for supervising PCSCs. We highlight facets of occupational stress parole officers experience, finding PCSCs may be more compliant when under supervision but may also require more of a parole officer’s resources, including time and energy. We put forth recommendations for greater empirical nuance concerning parole officer work and their occupational experiences and beliefs about PCSC, particularly as related to parole officer health.

“…We would argue that the penal system can work to buffer these stressors and provide ex-prisoners with the time and resources needed to hold on to their new sense of self. This can be done, for example, by listening to ex-prisoners’ own priorities in terms of their reintegration and their conceptions of their future (see also Maier 2020 ), by providing mental health and emotional supports, and by ensuring that material needs (e.g. housing) are taken care of, especially during the early stages of release.…”

Section: Discussion: Desistance Positivity and Long-term Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Prison didn’t change me, I have changed”: Narratives of change, self, and prison time

Maier

Criminology & Criminal Justice

2021

Self Cite

Drawing on interview data with over 50 male former prisoners in Ontario, Canada, we examine male ex-prisoners’ narratives of change within prison settings. Specifically, we focus on how ex-prisoners talk about change to self and their persona, as they reflect back on both their pre-prison selves and the ways they believe prison changed them. We find that these ex-prisoners described prison as a time where they developed a more general sense of positive change. Ex-prisoners described how prison living made them “calmer,” “stronger,” and more “patient” overall. These descriptions stand in tension with the overall hostility of prison environments where prisoners are forced to focus on survival and basic well-being as they navigate the risks and threats of prison living. Overall, in this article, we seek to contribute to emerging discussions on positivity within prison settings, acknowledging that studying the more positive impacts of prison is a delicate yet important endeavor necessary to help better understand the experiential complexities of punishment.