Week 7 Assignment – Corrections Officers: Roles and Challenges

Week 7 Assignment – Corrections Officers: Roles and Challenges

To successfully complete this assignment, you will need to:

• Refer to Chapter 9, “The Staff World: Managing the Prison Population,” in your Corrections in the 21st Century textbook.
• conduct research on the role of corrections officers and the challenges they face.
  • The B.S. in Criminal Justice library guide is a good place to start your research.
• Explore the Department of Corrections website for your state.
  • In your browser of choice, simply type the name of your state and department of corrections. For example: Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Corrections is one potential career option for people studying or working in the criminal justice field. According to the textbook authors, career opportunities exist as many states face a shortage of correctional officers. Likewise, staff turnover is high (Schmalleger, 2021).

Before making such an important decision to pursue this type of career, you’ll want to educate yourself on the major responsibilities required of this role and the challenges these officers face on a daily basis. This assignment will give you the opportunity to do just that by writing a 3–5 page research paper on the roles and challenges of correctional officers.

Instructions

After reviewing this week’s textbook reading and conducting research on the roles and challenges of corrections officers, you are to write a 3–5 page research paper in which you:

1. Explain the correctional facility staff hierarchy and the four main goals of correctional staff members, including the importance of each goal.
2. Outline the effectiveness of the five types of power available to correctional staff to manage inmate behavior.
3. Describe the factors contributing to correctional officer corruption within correctional facilities.
4. Report on the symptoms of stress for correctional officers and the associated underlying factors.
5. Summarize the effectiveness of the methods correctional officers use to cope with stress.
6. Use three sources to support your writing.
   • Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate.
   • Cite each source listed on your source page at least one time within your assignment.