Prison organizational culture: a scoping review on shared values and practices

Purpose Organizational culture explains shared norms, values and beliefs that shape the overall working of an organization. The concept of organizational culture is an underexplored phenomenon among prison officials. Thus, this scoping review aims to systematically map existing literature to understand how prison scholarship has studied and conceptualized prison organizational culture (POC). Design/methodology/approach The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines was followed for searching relevant literature across databases. A total of 20 studies published between 2011 and 2023 were qualified on the inclusion criteria. Findings Thematic analysis identified six interrelated dimensions that extend the understanding of POC: collective occupational identity, group cohesiveness, leadership and communication, emotional expression, staff–prisoner relationships and perceived risk and organizational support. Practical implications The findings highlight that understanding of POC can help in more effective, ethical and humane working of prison and institutional reforms. Originality/value The review opens a discussion in the area of working of closed institution like prison.