As outlined in the article, a variety of policies could be effective for the safety and wellness of correctional officers. To begin with, the health concerns of correctional officers is an aspect that has been ignored for decades. Correctional officers’ general health and well-being are paramount policies that can help maintain order within the correctional facilities. The government should develop policies that can help monitor and improve the general health of correctional officers. It is essential to undertake efforts that ensure the health and well-being of correctional officers.
The initial step in ensuring correctional officers’ well-being is to understand that they work in a field of employment where they are exposed to threats concerning their health and general well-being. There should be policies and programs that aim to improve correctional officers’ health because of the many dangers associated with the profession. Improving the health standards of correctional officers should begin by the administrative officers changing their perception about the safety of the correctional officers ( Ferdik & Smith, 2017). The common attitude known as “machismo” among correctional officers should be dropped as it prevents them from seeking assistant because they could be viewed as weak. The initial stage to change this scenario is changing the general mindset that individuals have about correctional officers being strong people. Individuals should realize that correctional officers, just like any other individuals, face a variety of dangers in their field of work, which makes them vulnerable and in need of help.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
There is no much effort that has been made to improve the correctional officer’s health, unlike for individuals in other professionals. Research should be carried out to detect correctional officers’ possible consequences when they become exposed to stress and other kinds of danger at the workplace. This can help gain a better understanding of the risks they are exposed to, and it helps to develop policies meant to enhance their general well-being.
A variety of the correctional departments have now considered providing programs that are meant to be of help to the correctional officers. Such programs offer specific services to correctional officers that help address any concerns and challenges that they could experience at their workplace. The main components of such programs include consulting the department leaders to point out employees who could be facing workplace challenges (Schaufeli & Peeters, 2000). This makes it easier to point out the workers who could be exposed to psychological problems and get early referrals to treatment providers.
The establishment of peer support programs could be a beneficial initiative that helps correctional officers access social and emotional support when they experience emotional distress. Such initiatives include peer-support programs that recruit workforce colleagues who can provide psychological support to the officers who could undergo traumatic moments at the workplace. Workforce colleagues become recruited through the peer-support programs, and they offer counseling programs that help their colleagues cope with emotional distress. Such peer support services could easily be accessed as fellow employees provide them within the department.
The most effective and feasible policy would be establishing peer support programs that would make it easier for correctional officers to access help and peer support from their colleagues. This initiative would be effective as they will be assured to share their problems with people they are familiar with. Working on emotional issues would be effective as such people could have undergone the experience and therefore provide a long-lasting solution.
References
Ferdik, F. V., & Smith, H. (2017). Correctional officer safety and wellness literature synthesis . US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.
Schaufeli, W. B., & Peeters, M. C. (2000). Job stress and burnout among correctional officers: A literature review. International Journal of stress management , 7 (1), 19-48.
