Hawaiʻi correctional officers say they get less support than inmates for the stressors they experience at jails.
That was one of the findings from recent surveys of current and former correctional officers at the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center.
A study of 20 surveyed officers aimed to understand the stress they experience on the job. It found that the stress often leads to physical and mental health problems that spill into the officers’ personal lives, even after the officers retire from the job.
One key finding of the study was that correctional officers are discouraged by the lack of support they receive after stressful situations — especially compared to the support inmates receive.
“They had some resentment (because) after something traumatic happened at the facility, they felt that there were more resources and support available for inmates than there were for the staff,” said Sophie Gralapp, who conducted the surveys between 2019 and 2022 as a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa graduate student.
Gralapp published the study in 2022, but she made her first presentation of the study to the public during a Hawaiʻi Correctional System Oversight Commission meeting on Thursday.
Reading a comment from one of the surveyed correctional officers, Gralapp said, “Let's say the inmate sees the guy hanging in his cell, the C.O. responds. We have to cut the guys down, we have to do first aid. (But) they talk to the inmate more because they're more concerned about his well-being than the actual C.O. that has to deal with … trying to save this guy's life.”
The study contains more than a dozen findings that were common among the surveyed officers.
Gralapp condensed the findings into five categories:
- Some of their stress came from moving between existence within OCCC and the outside world.
- Their interpersonal relationships outside of work suffered.
- They attributed their declining health and well-being to their job stress.
- They wanted more access to resources and support for OCCC employees.
- They viewed support, both from other correctional officers and from an organizational standpoint, as important to their jobs.
“As a former correctional officer, I cannot disagree with anything you said,” said commission chair Mark Patterson. “I’ve been there, I’ve lived it myself.”
He noted that correctional officers can’t turn off a sense of hypervigilance they develop from the job, saying that it’s difficult to relax at home or in the community.
The study found that correctional officers support each other, but often feel unvalued and regret their job choice. They have a lower life expectancy and a higher rate of substance use, post-traumatic stress and suicide than other occupations.
Gralapp noted that there is a large body of research on the job stress experienced by police officers, but not for correctional officers.
To view the study, click here.
