One Voice United- Staffing

DISCLAIMER: The following survey is intended to help guide the state and national discussion on issues related to staffing and to provide front line feedback on mental health and wellness programs if offered to staff. The statements and proposals discussed are not official positions of One Voice United but are provided as areas needing discussion. Information provided will only be used for the intended purposes stated below.

Background: One Voice United is a national campaign to give correctional officers and staff a voice and inject their unique perspective and expertise into the conversation around criminal justice reform.

By building bridges and bringing together a broad range of stakeholders, our goal is to cut across political divides and respond to the real problems that effective and sustainable reform must address.

Through this survey, you will help shape the topics and discussion of One Voice United and lend your expertise and guidance to the issues currently facing corrections professionals.

* All respondents are anonymous and we encourage participants to be as open and honest as possible.

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* 1. What category best describes your age?

18-24 years old

25-34 years old

35-44 years old

45-54 years old

55-64 years old

65 or older

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* 2. How many years have you worked in the Department of Corrections?

0-5

6-10

11-15

16-20

21-24

25+

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* 3. What is your gender?

Male

Female

Other

Prefer not to answer

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* 4. In what state or U.S. territory do you currently work?

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* 5. Which of the following best describes your current occupation?

Corrections Officer

Supervisor

Administration

Parole/Probation

Support

Other (please specify)

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* 6. What is the security level of your current prison/ Institution?

Minimum

Medium

Maximum

Multi-level

Other (please specify)

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* 7. What is the gender of your facility's incarcerated population?

Male

Female

Both

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* 8. Is the inmate population at your facility decreasing or increasing?

Increasing

Decreasing

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* 9. Is the officer staffing level at your facility increasing or decreasing?

Increasing

Decreasing

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* 10. In the last three months, how many times on average have you been required to work mandatory overtime each week?

0 times

1 time a week

2 times a week

3 times a week

4 times a week

5 times a week

Does not apply

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* 11. To what extent is understaffing an issue at your facility?

A great deal

A lot

A moderate amount

A little

None at all

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* 12. If understaffing is an issue at your facility, to what extent do you think each of the following to be a contributing factor?

	Not at all	A little	Moderate	A lot	A great deal
Ineffective recruiting practices	Ineffective recruiting practices Not at all	Ineffective recruiting practices A little	Ineffective recruiting practices Moderate	Ineffective recruiting practices A lot	Ineffective recruiting practices A great deal
Insufficient pay and/or benefits	Insufficient pay and/or benefits Not at all	Insufficient pay and/or benefits A little	Insufficient pay and/or benefits Moderate	Insufficient pay and/or benefits A lot	Insufficient pay and/or benefits A great deal
Perceived job danger	Perceived job danger Not at all	Perceived job danger A little	Perceived job danger Moderate	Perceived job danger A lot	Perceived job danger A great deal
Better employment opportunities elsewhere	Better employment opportunities elsewhere Not at all	Better employment opportunities elsewhere A little	Better employment opportunities elsewhere Moderate	Better employment opportunities elsewhere A lot	Better employment opportunities elsewhere A great deal
Poor public image	Poor public image Not at all	Poor public image A little	Poor public image Moderate	Poor public image A lot	Poor public image A great deal
Media / Hollywood portrayal	Media / Hollywood portrayal Not at all	Media / Hollywood portrayal A little	Media / Hollywood portrayal Moderate	Media / Hollywood portrayal A lot	Media / Hollywood portrayal A great deal
Entrance qualifications too high	Entrance qualifications too high Not at all	Entrance qualifications too high A little	Entrance qualifications too high Moderate	Entrance qualifications too high A lot	Entrance qualifications too high A great deal
Drug testing requirement	Drug testing requirement Not at all	Drug testing requirement A little	Drug testing requirement Moderate	Drug testing requirement A lot	Drug testing requirement A great deal
Covid-19 related leave or illness	Covid-19 related leave or illness Not at all	Covid-19 related leave or illness A little	Covid-19 related leave or illness Moderate	Covid-19 related leave or illness A lot	Covid-19 related leave or illness A great deal
Sick leave call-ins	Sick leave call-ins Not at all	Sick leave call-ins A little	Sick leave call-ins Moderate	Sick leave call-ins A lot	Sick leave call-ins A great deal
Agency budget (lack of funding)	Agency budget (lack of funding) Not at all	Agency budget (lack of funding) A little	Agency budget (lack of funding) Moderate	Agency budget (lack of funding) A lot	Agency budget (lack of funding) A great deal

Any other issues you believe are contributing to staffing shortages?

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* 13. Do you believe that understaffing plays a role in the stress levels of staff at your facility?

Yes

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* 14. Do you believe that understaffing plays a role in the stress levels of inmates at your facility?

Yes

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* 15. There are many sources of stress when working in a correctional environment. Please rate the following based on where you've experienced the most stress; 1 being a low source of stress, 5 being a high source of stress.

	1 (low source of stress)	2	3	4	5 (high source of stress)
Inmate population	Inmate population 1 (low source of stress)	Inmate population 2	Inmate population 3	Inmate population 4	Inmate population 5 (high source of stress)
Immediate Supervisor	Immediate Supervisor 1 (low source of stress)	Immediate Supervisor 2	Immediate Supervisor 3	Immediate Supervisor 4	Immediate Supervisor 5 (high source of stress)
Administration	Administration 1 (low source of stress)	Administration 2	Administration 3	Administration 4	Administration 5 (high source of stress)
Fellow Officers	Fellow Officers 1 (low source of stress)	Fellow Officers 2	Fellow Officers 3	Fellow Officers 4	Fellow Officers 5 (high source of stress)
Media/Hollywood	Media/Hollywood 1 (low source of stress)	Media/Hollywood 2	Media/Hollywood 3	Media/Hollywood 4	Media/Hollywood 5 (high source of stress)
Inmate Advocates	Inmate Advocates 1 (low source of stress)	Inmate Advocates 2	Inmate Advocates 3	Inmate Advocates 4	Inmate Advocates 5 (high source of stress)
Forced overtime	Forced overtime 1 (low source of stress)	Forced overtime 2	Forced overtime 3	Forced overtime 4	Forced overtime 5 (high source of stress)
Staffing shortages	Staffing shortages 1 (low source of stress)	Staffing shortages 2	Staffing shortages 3	Staffing shortages 4	Staffing shortages 5 (high source of stress)
Missing family events	Missing family events 1 (low source of stress)	Missing family events 2	Missing family events 3	Missing family events 4	Missing family events 5 (high source of stress)
Threats of violence	Threats of violence 1 (low source of stress)	Threats of violence 2	Threats of violence 3	Threats of violence 4	Threats of violence 5 (high source of stress)
Assaults on staff / injuries	Assaults on staff / injuries 1 (low source of stress)	Assaults on staff / injuries 2	Assaults on staff / injuries 3	Assaults on staff / injuries 4	Assaults on staff / injuries 5 (high source of stress)

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* 16. Does your agency have an Employee Assistance Program?

Yes

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* 17. If yes, is it administered by:

The agency itself

A health care provider

A private contractor

A combination of the above

We do not have an Employee Assistance Program

Not sure

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* 18. In general, how do staff feel about the program?

Excellent, highly utilized and well thought of by staff

Good, nothing is perfect but they utilize it and you’ve heard
positive things

Indifferent, it’s there but not promoted and underutilized

Negative, want nothing to do with it, a management tool, no
confidentiality

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* 19. Does your agency have a crisis intervention team to debrief staff after critical or violent incidents?

Yes

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* 20. Does your agency offer programs to address any of the following? (please check all that apply)

Pre-retirement planning

Post retirement counseling

Mentoring program for new cadets

Family contact point and counseling on stress identification and awareness

Staff Annual training in mental health

Staff Annual training in de-escalation skills

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* 21. In most correctional settings, giving each other some lighthearted
grief eases tension and passes time. However, it can also get out of hand,
become unprofessional, and a source of frustration and stress. At your
facility, is staff bullying of other staff, rumor-mongering, sexual innuendo, or
harassment an issue?

Yes, and it starts at the top with the administrations management style

Some staff have gotten out of hand and management does need to step in

On occasion it’s an issue with some staff but for the most part no big deal

Not an issue where I work

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* 22. If you wanted to use the EAP and talk to someone about how work is
impacting your mental health how would management react?

Supportive – shows concern and willing to provide assistance.

Neutral – if HR thinks its an issue that needs to be handled, they’ll handle it.

Apprehensive – not quite sure its “real” or that it’s because of the job, will probably seek psychiatric evaluations of staff before allowing a return to duty.

Resistant – doesn’t believe the job is for everyone. Will deny promotions, plum assignments and team participation fearing potential liability and lack of fitness for duty or as a punishment and deterrent for others.

In Denial – “toughen up snowflake or find another line of work.”

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* 23. If you wanted to use the EAP and talk to someone about how work is
impacting your mental health how would fellow staff react?

Supportive – understands and supports the decision to seek counsel

Neutral – knows the job can have an impact and draws no negative inference from anyone seeking help but feels non-impacted.

Apprehensive – wonders if you’re “gaffing” the system and looking for some paid beach time, or if maybe you’re not cut out for the job.

Resistant – thinks most of this PTSD thing is BS. Yah there are some cases when you get assaulted or see a murder but for the most part it’s just a job.

In Denial – questions anyone who says the job takes a mental toll. “You knew what this was when you applied. It’s all in your head. Toughen up.” Questions your loyalty and ability to respond in an emergency.

One Voice United- Staffing

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* 1. What category best describes your age?

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* 2. How many years have you worked in the Department of Corrections?

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* 3. What is your gender?

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* 4. In what state or U.S. territory do you currently work?

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* 5. Which of the following best describes your current occupation?

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* 6. What is the security level of your current prison/ Institution?

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* 7. What is the gender of your facility's incarcerated population?

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* 8. Is the inmate population at your facility decreasing or increasing?

Question Title

* 9. Is the officer staffing level at your facility increasing or decreasing?

Question Title

* 10. In the last three months, how many times on average have you been required to work mandatory overtime each week?

Question Title

* 11. To what extent is understaffing an issue at your facility?

Question Title

* 12. If understaffing is an issue at your facility, to what extent do you think each of the following to be a contributing factor?

Question Title

* 13. Do you believe that understaffing plays a role in the stress levels of staff at your facility?

Question Title

* 14. Do you believe that understaffing plays a role in the stress levels of inmates at your facility?

Question Title

* 15. There are many sources of stress when working in a correctional environment. Please rate the following based on where you've experienced the most stress; 1 being a low source of stress, 5 being a high source of stress.

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* 16. Does your agency have an Employee Assistance Program?

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* 17. If yes, is it administered by:

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* 18. In general, how do staff feel about the program?

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* 19. Does your agency have a crisis intervention team to debrief staff after critical or violent incidents?

Question Title

* 20. Does your agency offer programs to address any of the following? (please check all that apply)

Question Title

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* 22. If you wanted to use the EAP and talk to someone about how work isimpacting your mental health how would management react?

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* 23. If you wanted to use the EAP and talk to someone about how work isimpacting your mental health how would fellow staff react?

* 22. If you wanted to use the EAP and talk to someone about how work is
impacting your mental health how would management react?

* 23. If you wanted to use the EAP and talk to someone about how work is
impacting your mental health how would fellow staff react?