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BC’s correctional officers face highest risk of on-the-job criminal violence
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December 3, 2002
Correctional officers in BC are at higher risk of on-the-job criminal violence than any other employees in the province.
This is a key finding from SFU criminology professor Neil Boyd’s recent investigation into the work of BC’s correctional officers. The BC Government and Service Employees’ Union commissioned the study in response to increases over the past year in inmate-staff ratios and the the double-bunking of inmates, both cost-cutting measures initiated by the Solicitor General and the Ministry of Public Safety.
The study, undertaken with assistance from PhD candidate Aili Malm, reveals that BC correctional officers make, proportionately, twice as many Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) claims for on-the-job criminal violence as do police officers in BC. The research duo’s investigation of WCB claims in 2000 and 2001 indicates that correctional officers are frequently attacked by inmates, sustaining serious injuries, trauma and exposure to potentially HIV-infected blood from inmates.
"What is most striking about data from our survey of 186 corrections officers is their discontent," says Boyd. "Almost 80% indicated they do not feel safe at work and 95% indicated that their level of on-the-job stress has increased during the past year."
Unlike federal corrections officers who deal with offenders who have already been sentenced, BC corrections officers deal with pre-trial inmates who may be angry, frustrated, or going through the process of withdrawal from various drugs. The nature of their work, says Boyd, already increases the potential for violence. The study also reveals that correctional officers do not feel they have adequate training for responding to violent incidents within the prisons.
"The people who are responsible for protecting public safety – the province’s correction officers - almost unanimously perceive their safety has been endangered by recent cost-cutting measures," says Boyd. "At the very least, the government has a moral responsibility to respond to these concerns. Something has to change and there are a number of options already available: decreased staff-inmate ratios, reductions in double-bunking, and improved training are three of the most obvious possibilities."
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CONTACT
Neil Boyd, 604.291.3324 neil_boyd@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, SFU Media & PR, 604.291.3035 carol_thorbes@sfu.ca
This is a key finding from SFU criminology professor Neil Boyd’s recent investigation into the work of BC’s correctional officers. The BC Government and Service Employees’ Union commissioned the study in response to increases over the past year in inmate-staff ratios and the the double-bunking of inmates, both cost-cutting measures initiated by the Solicitor General and the Ministry of Public Safety.
The study, undertaken with assistance from PhD candidate Aili Malm, reveals that BC correctional officers make, proportionately, twice as many Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) claims for on-the-job criminal violence as do police officers in BC. The research duo’s investigation of WCB claims in 2000 and 2001 indicates that correctional officers are frequently attacked by inmates, sustaining serious injuries, trauma and exposure to potentially HIV-infected blood from inmates.
"What is most striking about data from our survey of 186 corrections officers is their discontent," says Boyd. "Almost 80% indicated they do not feel safe at work and 95% indicated that their level of on-the-job stress has increased during the past year."
Unlike federal corrections officers who deal with offenders who have already been sentenced, BC corrections officers deal with pre-trial inmates who may be angry, frustrated, or going through the process of withdrawal from various drugs. The nature of their work, says Boyd, already increases the potential for violence. The study also reveals that correctional officers do not feel they have adequate training for responding to violent incidents within the prisons.
"The people who are responsible for protecting public safety – the province’s correction officers - almost unanimously perceive their safety has been endangered by recent cost-cutting measures," says Boyd. "At the very least, the government has a moral responsibility to respond to these concerns. Something has to change and there are a number of options already available: decreased staff-inmate ratios, reductions in double-bunking, and improved training are three of the most obvious possibilities."
-30-
CONTACT
Neil Boyd, 604.291.3324 neil_boyd@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, SFU Media & PR, 604.291.3035 carol_thorbes@sfu.ca