Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-23-2023
Publication Title
Criminal Justice and Behavior
Volume
50
Issue
10
Pages
1506-1525
Publisher Name
Sage Publishing
Abstract
Most research finds that individuals are drawn to the correctional officer occupation for the pay and benefits or because it provides a new and exciting opportunity. However, these are not the only interests for choosing a correctional officer position. The current study draws on a sample of pre-service correctional officers surveyed prior to beginning their jobs (N = 673). In the spirit of the deviant case method, we focus on a subset of our sample who provided problematic motivations for becoming officers (n = 38). Using a thematic analytic approach, we identified five broad themes within this nefariously/disconcertingly motivated sample: use of force, punitive focus, power and control, cavalier ulterior motives, and problematic social boundaries. We theorize, based on prior research, that these individuals could constitute a meaningful minority that may contribute to the detriment of both their organizations and those they are overseeing. Future research should explore this possibility.
Recommended Citation
Burton, Alexander L.; Jonson, Cheryl Lero; Petrich, Damon M.; and Miller, William T.. Nefarious and Disconcerting Motivations for Choosing a Correctional Officer Position: A Deviant Case Analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 50, 10: 1506-1525, 2023. Retrieved from Loyola eCommons, Criminal Justice & Criminology: Faculty Publications & Other Works, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00938548231187415
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright Statement
© International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology, 2023.
Comments
Author Posting © International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology, 2023. This article is posted here by permission of Sage Publishing for personal use and redistribution. This article was published open access in Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 50, Iss. 10 (October 2023), https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548231187415.