Attitudinal schemas and academy training receptivity: a quasi-experimental study of prison officers

This study aimed to assess whether the receptivity of prison officers toward academy training differs based on their views of rehabilitation and punitiveness.

Using the potential outcomes framework, we quasi-experimentally examine the role of newly-hired officers’ (N = 519) rehabilitative and punitive attitudes on post-training self-efficacy in performing the occupational duties of a prison officer. Linear regression models are estimated to examine the effects of the two attitudes on the confidence to perform the job of a prison officer.

Results indicate that officers espousing greater rehabilitative views leave academy training with greater confidence in completing all roles associated with the job, while officers holding stronger punitive views leave with substantially less confidence.

There are substantial differences in what rehabilitative-oriented prison officers get out of academy training versus punitively oriented officers.