In light of the increasing interest in research on correctional officers, data are presented concerning the validity, reliability, and factor structure of the Klofas-Toch professional orientation inventory of correctional officer attitudes toward inmates. This 17-item instrument was administered to a heterogeneous sample of southern correctional officers and to a heterogeneous sample of probation/parole officers. The same four factor structure emerged in the correctional officer data as has been reported by Klofas and Toch (1982); however, separate analyses showed differential factor ordering and loading for black and white officers. The factor structure that emerged in the probation officer data differed from the structure found in the correctional officer data. Finally, the professional orientation inventory, while found to be a valid and reliable measure, did not explain much of the variance in correctional officer job burnout.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bem, D. (1970). Beliefs, attitudes and human affairs. Monterey, CA: Brooks-Cole.
2.
Cherniss, C. (1980). Staff burnout in the human services. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
3.
Cullen, F. T. , Gilbert, K. E., & Cullen, J. B. (1983). Implementing determinate sentencing in Illinois: Conscious and convenient. Criminal Justice Review, 8(1), 1-16.
4.
Cullen, F. T. , Link, B. G., Wolfe, N. T., & Frank, J. (1985). The social dimensions of correctional officer stress. Justice Quarterly, 2(4), 505-533.
5.
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Evanston, IL: Row-Peterson.
6.
Gramling, L. K. (1979). An analysis of the characteristics of the “good” correctional officer as rated by peers, supervisors, and residents. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Alabama.
7.
Haney, C. , Banks, C., & Zimbardo, P. (1973). Interpersonal dynamics in a simulated prison. International Journal of Criminology and Penology, 1, 69-97.
8.
Hepburn, J. R. (1987). The prison control structure and its effects on work attitudes: The perceptions and attitudes of prison guards. Journal of Criminal Justice, 15, 49-64.
9.
Jacobs, J. (1978). What prison guards think: A profile of the Illinois force. Crime & Delinquency, 24, 185-196.
10.
Johnson, R. (1977). Ameliorating prison stress: Some helping roles for custodial personnel. International Journal of Criminology and Penology, 5, 263-273.
11.
Johnson, R. (1987). Hard time: Understanding and reforming the prison. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
12.
Jurik, N. C. (1985). Individual and organizational determinants of correctional officer attitudes toward inmates. Criminology, 23, 523-539.
13.
Kim, J. , & Mueller, C. W. (1978). Factor analysis. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
14.
Klofas, J. (1986). Discretion among correctional officers: The influence of urbanization, age and race. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 30, 11-124.
15.
Klofas, J. , & Toch, H. (1982). The guard subculture myth. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 19, 238-254.
16.
Langworthy, R. H. (1987). Police cynicism: What we know from the Niederhoffer scale. Journal of Criminal Justice, 15, 17-34.
17.
Linquist, C. A. , & Whitehead, J. T. (1986). Burnout, job stress and job satisfaction among southern correctional officers: Perceptions and causal factors. Journal of Offender Services, Counseling and Rehabilitation, 10(4), 5-26.
18.
Lombardo, L. X. (1981). Guard imprisoned: Correctional officers at work. New York: Elsevier.
19.
Marquart, J. W. (1986). Prison guards and the use of physical coercion as a mechanism of prisoner control. Criminology, 24, 347-366.
20.
Maslach, C. , & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2, 99-113.
21.
Melvin, K. B. , Gramling, L. K., & Gardner, W. M. (1985). A scale to measure attitudes toward prisoners. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 12, 241-253.
22.
Niederhoffer, A. (1967). Behind the shield: The police in urban society. Garden City, NY: Anchor.
23.
Poole, E. D. , & Regoli, R. M. (1979). Police professionalism and cynicism. Criminal Justice Review, 6(2), 201-206.
24.
Poole, E. D. , & Regoli, R. M. (1980). Role stress, custody orientation, and disciplinary actions: A study of prison guards. Criminology, 18, 215-226.
25.
Quinn, R. , & Staines, G. (1979). The 1977 quality of employment survey. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Survey Research Center.
26.
Regoli, R. M. , & Poole, E. D. (1976a). The effects of college education on the maintenance of police cynicism. Journal of Police Science and Administration, 4, 340-345.
27.
Regoli, R. M. , & Poole, E. D. (1976b). An empirical assessment of Niederhoffer's police cynicism scale. Journal of Criminal Justice, 4, 231-241.
28.
Regoli, R. M. , & Poole, E. D. (1977). Police in America. Washington, DC: University Press of America.
29.
Regoli, R. M. , & Poole, E. D. (1978). Explaining cynicism among city and county police. Criminal Justice Review, 3(1), 93-99.
30.
Regoli, R. M. , & Poole, E. D. (1979). Measurement of police cynicism: A factor scaling approach. Journal of Criminal Justice, 7, 37-51.
31.
Rizzo, J. R. , House, R., & Lirtzman, S. (1970). Role conflict and ambiguity in complex organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 15, 150-163.
32.
Rokeach, M. (1968). Beliefs, attitudes and values. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
33.
Shamir, B. , & Drory, A. (1982). Occupational tedium among prison officers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 9, 79-99.
34.
Smith, B. L. , & Ward, R. A. (1983). Stress on military and civilian police personnel. American Journal of Police, 3, 111-126.
35.
Toch, H. , & Klofas, J. (1982). Alienation and desire for job enrichment among correction officers. Federal Probation, 46(1), 35-44.
36.
Vroom, V. (1959). Some personality determinants of the effects of participation. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 59, 322-327.
37.
Wicker, A. (1969). Attitudes versus actions: The relationship of verbal and overt behavioral responses to attitude objects. Journal of Social Issues, 25, 41-78.
