Papers by Rosemary Ricciardelli
Prisons are poorly ventilated confined spaces with limited physical distancing opportunities, mak... more Prisons are poorly ventilated confined spaces with limited physical distancing opportunities, making an environment conducive to the spread of infectious diseases. Based on empirical research with correctional officer recruits in Canada, we analyze the reasons and sources of fear, and the measures that recruits adopt to counter their fear of contagion. Our study marks an advance in the correctional work literature, which, to date, has tended to view perceived contagion risks as a workplace challenge that can be overcome with occupational skill and experience. In contrast with the existing literature, we present fear and perceived contagion risk as an “operational stress injury” that affects all correctional officers; a structural occupational health and safety problem that needs redressing from the labor policy perspective.
Routledge eBooks, Nov 10, 2020
Routledge eBooks, Dec 19, 2018
Criminal Justice Studies, Apr 3, 2022
International Journal of Police Science and Management, Aug 1, 2023
Police officers are responsible for both proactive and reactive policing; however, every call for... more Police officers are responsible for both proactive and reactive policing; however, every call for service, at a minimum, equates to an administrative process that is time-consuming and appears to distract from the ability of police officers to do their investigative and community-oriented police work. In this article, we explore the administrative processes that are paperwork as a source of organizational stress. Specifically, we draw on researcher observational field notes, focus groups, as well as interview data discussing the paperwork processes as a part of and contributing to the organizational and operational stressors experienced by, and the psychological burden and its effects on, police officers in a provincial policing agency in Canada. Results indicate not only the sheer volume of paperwork that police are responsible for, but also the extended time being spent “catching up” administratively and the psychological implications of such processes on their well-being, including, for example, decreased morale, frustration, and feeling overwhelmed.
Criminal Justice and Behavior, May 29, 2023
Most correctional officers describe their jobs as stressful. The current study advances the schol... more Most correctional officers describe their jobs as stressful. The current study advances the scholarship on correctional stress by offering a rare qualitative analysis that identifies, provides meaning, and contextualizes sources of stress in correctional services. This study complements the correctional stress literature, which, until now, has relied primarily on quantitative methodologies to identify and assess stress determinants. Forty-four correctional officers from Canada’s federal prisons were interviewed about their primary source of stress. Findings indicate that staff (i.e., co-workers and managers), not prison residents, represent a primary source of stress in correctional work. In addition, job seniority and gossip were the main stress triggers associated with co-workers, while centralization of decision-making processes and a lack of instrumental communication and support triggered stress coming from managers.
Journal of Clinical Nursing, May 4, 2022
Law and Social Inquiry-journal of The American Bar Foundation, Feb 28, 2023
Parole officers are central actors in the penal system as their decisions can affect the timing o... more Parole officers are central actors in the penal system as their decisions can affect the timing of a person's release from prison and also restrict or enable their freedoms in the community upon release. Existing research on parole examines how parole officers think about and govern ex-prisoners via techniques of surveillance, regulation, and support. Few studies, however, provide qualitative insight into how parole officers experience their occupational authorities and associated power over (ex)prisoners' future, or the emotions generated by frontline supervision work. Using data from interviews with 150 parole officers in Canada, we explore the emotions associated with parole officers' occupational responsibilities and authorities vis-à-vis the parolee, the public, and the parole officer's employer. Participants experienced their duty to make decisions that impact their clients' legal and social futures, and potentially public safety, as a source of emotional stress and concern, as they worried about how their decisions could negatively affect their client, the community, and their own professional status. In illuminating parole officers' feelings and experiences, we show how parole-the "transition" between incarceration and freedom-produces an emotionally charged experience not just for (ex)prisoners, but also for those engaged in frontline supervision work.
Feminist Criminology, Jan 19, 2023
Police organizations, typically considered masculine paramilitary organizations, are employing in... more Police organizations, typically considered masculine paramilitary organizations, are employing increasing numbers of women in non-sworn roles. We investigate the experiences and perceptions of a specific group of non-sworn personnel, Detachment Services Assistants (DSAs) working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, unpacking their perceptions of a slowly-changing gendered organizational culture. We analyze how their fluid performances of femininities allow them to navigate a gendered workplace environment that, at times, can marginalize them based on their gender and occupational status. The study makes a novel contribution to the policing literature on gender and the role of non-sworn personnel in policing.
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, Feb 27, 2023
The Prison Journal, Feb 14, 2023
The current study uses a mixed methods approach to assess quality of prison life in Canada's ... more The current study uses a mixed methods approach to assess quality of prison life in Canada's Atlantic provincial correctional institutions. Questions from the Measurement of the Quality of Prison Life were adapted to create scales to assess prisoner climate dimension perceptions, with open-ended questions providing qualitative data. Across eight prison sites, statistical analysis revealed between prison differences and confirmed that prison sentence location did matter. The qualitative data emergent themes also produced several consistent concerns that Likert responses could not capture, ranging from primary needs to service desires. Research affirms the importance of studying prison environments and supports the use of mixed methods, as qualitative data can provide greater insight into the lived experience of inmates and better chart change that is beneficial to them.
Routledge eBooks, Feb 13, 2023
Routledge eBooks, Aug 10, 2023
Crime, Media, Culture, Apr 12, 2023
The work of correctional officers (COs) is essential yet remains largely hidden from society. As ... more The work of correctional officers (COs) is essential yet remains largely hidden from society. As such, media framing plays an important role in shaping public perceptions of COs and their work. COs encounter adverse events over the course of their occupational work and are legally—and sometimes publicly—held accountable. In the current study, we first present a text-based frame analysis of local news media published between January 2019 and December 2019 to see how COs are represented in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). We then draw from 25 interviews with COs employed at Her [His] Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s, NL, to learn how the officers interpret the media’s framing of their occupation. Grounded emergent theme analyses of interview data reveal officers share concerns about what they perceived as unfair negative media framing. COs more often feel like objects of media framing with little agency to shape media narratives about their work. COs’ lay theories about their representation in mainstream news media illuminate a misalignment between media framing and their own work experience. This misalignment is a source of anxiety and additional job strain.
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Papers by Rosemary Ricciardelli