Two professional hats on one attitudinal head: An exploration of Custodial Correctional Officers' role perception and performance within the organisational cultural context of Queensland Corrective Services correctional facilities

Two professional hats on one attitudinal head: An exploration of Custodial Correctional Officers' role perception and performance within the organisational cultural context of Queensland Corrective Services correctional facilities

In Australia, corrective services officers (CSOs) are required to perform as both agents of security and agents of change within the remit of their role, which directly aligns with the goals and values upheld by Australian corrective services pertaining to security and rehabilitation. Whether CSOs perceive and perform their role congruently with this dual identity has not been previously examined but is a key aspect in fostering organisational culture and contributing to the organisational aim of reducing recidivism risks. To address this gap, semi-structured interviews were conducted with CSOs (n=9) in Australia to explore individual-level perceptions about their role and the way it is performed to ascertain alignment and disparities with organisational expectations and associated outcomes. The findings in this study highlight the perception and performance of CSO roles varies by role occupied and the daily operational function of correctional facilities inhibits the development of an organisational culture that upholds the goals and values of corrective services. The implications of this study amplify the merits of developing evidence-based responses to prompt a shift in organisational culture to improve anticipated outcomes.

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