Correctional Officer Control Ideology: Implications for Understanding a System

The present study examined the attitudes and beliefs of 189 correctional officers at four Maryland State prisons representing various security levels regarding the control of inmates (i.e., control ideology) using the Correctional Control Ideology Scale (CCIS). Correctional officers reported moderate levels of custodialism. In the bivariate analysis, African American and female officers reported lower CCIS scores. In the multivariate analysis, being African American and working the evening shift were predictors of CCIS. These findings indicate that a more thorough understanding of race, shift, gender, and to some degree, education, are important in conceptualizing workforce motivation within the prison environment. The sampling procedure consisted of a convenience sample; thus data are not representative of all officers employed (excluding officers absent at shift because of vacation, illness, days off, court appearances) at the four sampled facilities. Finally, a more comprehensive investigation of correctional staff and officers may contribute to greater understanding of the systemic dynamics of inmate confining organizations.