Levels of Custody and Attitude Differences Among Prison Officers: A Comparative Study

Research reported in a previous paper (Williams, 1983) suggests that the extent of prison officers' role in maintaining custodial control may be an important variable affecting their attitudes towards disciplinary authority, inmates, and non-custodial staff. This implies that officers working in institutions with different levels of custodial confinement may also vary in their attitudes towards these dimensions. An analysis of responses from officers in prison institutions suggests that attitudes between institutional types do vary significantly. The analysis identified differences between the maximum security prison and non-maximum security prisons, while “treatment institutions” did not appear to be significantly different. However, officers in the female institution appear to hold quite distinctive role orientations and attitudes.