The Job Expectations of Prison Officers: A Profile of Victorian Recruits

Abstract

Studies of job satisfaction relating to human service organizations (except educational establishments) are scarce. This paper is a preliminary analysis of one aspect of a job satisfaction study of uniformed staff working in correctional (prison) establishments. A questionnaire measuring job expectations was administered to 65 prison officer recruits in 1978. A second questionnaire was administered to 19 of the recruits in order to measure the changes experienced after they had performed the duties of their position within the correctional service. The expectations of the recruit officers were analysed in relation to the demographic information available from the survey instrument. Possible policy implications for the administration of correctional services are proposed.