Correctional Officer Training Programs: How do they Impact the Body?
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Memorial University of Newfoundland
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Memorial University of Newfoundland Canada
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Carleton University Canada
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University of Winnipeg Canada
Abstract
How the body is used within strenuous pre-work or training conditions and regimen is physically, mentally, and socially challenging. In this study, we analyze interview data to examine how Canada’s federal correctional officer recruits (CORs; n = 31) and correctional officers (COs; n = 25) with at least one year of occupational tenure embodied their experiences of the Correctional Training Program (CTP). First, recognizing the lacuna in knowledge around impacts on the body from correctional officer training, we interpret the dominant body discourses and effects on COR and CO stress and wellness. Second, understanding how bodies uniquely experience the program, we discuss how training programs influence how CORs interpret, discipline, and/or alter their body to mold into the “proper” CO. Findings suggest training enlists the body, creates expectations, and prepares the body for on-the-job training and their future role as a CO. We conclude with recommendations for training and applied practice.
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Author Biographies
Ayla Zehtab-Jadid is a PhD candidate at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She received her bachelor’s from Brandon University, completing a double major in Sociology and Religion Studies. She completed her Masters at University of Saskatchewan. Her research focuses on public safety, youth, and surveillance.
Dr. Rosemary Ricciardelli is Professor (PhD) and Research Chair in Safety, Security, and Wellness, at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Ricciardelli was elected to the Royal Society of Canada and is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Her research centers on evolving understandings of the needs of public safety professional across public safety (i.e., correctional services, firefighting, intelligence, and policing) and public health (i.e., nursing, prisons) and their service leaders regarding occupational, socio-cultural, and posttraumatic stress injuries, vulnerabilities, and risk. Her work includes people in prison or on parole/probation, focusing on their social, mental, and physical health.
Dale Spencer is Professor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Formerly a Banting Fellow, Ontario Early Research Award recipient, and Faculty of Public Affairs Research Excellence Chair, his main research interests are violence, sport, victimization, policing, youth, sex crimes, and conceptions of homelessness, domicile, and the law.
Marcella Siqueira Cassiano, PhD, is a professor at the University of Winnipeg in Canada. Her scholarship focuses on surveillance and governance, prison policies, and the occupational health and wellness of public safety professionals.