Date of Conferral
2023
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Sandra Caramela-Miller
Abstract
Solitary confinement in United States prisons is a common practice influenced by legal and human rights discussions. Physical conditions of the prison environment can cause somatic and psychological distress among correctional officers. The research problem is how lived experiences of solitary confinement correctional officers may influence punitive force perceptions. A positive outcome for inmates may be influenced by correctional officers who are unbiased in confinement, interventions, and treatment management. Positive inmate outcomes also rely on institutional functions. The purpose was to explore correctional officers’ lived experiences and perspectives. The supporting theoretical framework is Weiner’s attribution theory. The research question involved impacts of prison environments within solitary confinement on correctional officers’ punitive force perceptions. A qualitative paradigm was used with a phenomenological approach. Semistructured interviews were conducted with four correctional officers who had experience working in solitary confinement units. Interviews were transcribed verbatim for hand coding and thematic analysis using NVivo software. Correctional officers’ punitive force perceptions were associated with poor impulse control, lack of training, management control, ineffective programs, overlooked profession, and use of force decisions. Positive social change can be supported by increasing awareness of correctional officers’ experiences in solitary confinement. The study results can be used to inform prison policies regarding restrictive housing and behavioral change outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Oberholtzer, Megan Crista, "Correctional Officers’ Perceptions of Punitive Force in Solitary Confinement" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 13657.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13657
