Gilles Launay

Bio: Gilles Launay is an academic researcher from Victim Support. The author has contributed to research in topics: Occupational stress. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 2 publications receiving 32 citations.

Stress Among Prison Officers: Some Empirical Evidence Based on Self Report1

Abstract: Eighty-nine prison officers were asked to rate the importance of 25 potential sources of stress in their work. They were also administered a twelve-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) as a measure of occupational stress. General Health (GH) was not related to age. It was related to rank, with senior officers reporting lower levels of stress than basic grade officers. The relationship between GH and length of service was curvilinear, with officers who had worked an intermediate number of years in the prison service reporting more stress. The factor analysis of the 25 sources of stress suggested that stress originated from two main sources, inmates and management, the weight given to these two factors being unrelated to the age, rank or experience of the officers. It was however related to the officers' reported stress on the GHQ. In particular, stressed officers were more likely to report inmates to be a source of stress than non-stressed officers. Implications and plans for future research are discussed.

Bringing Victims and Offenders Together: A Comparison of Two Models

Abstract: Evidence which suggests that victims of crime and criminal offenders can benefit from being brought together is briefly reviewed before two models of such encounters are compared. These are the VORP model, which involves the victim meeting his/her offender to discuss terms of reparation and the Rochester model where victims and unassociated offenders meet as a group. It is concluded that the Rochester model is more effective in providing victims and offenders with a learning experience through which their prejudices and stereotypes can be dynamically challenged.

Job Stress and Burnout Among Correctional Officers: A Literature Review

Abstract: This literature review presents an overview of occupational stress and burnout in correctional institutions, based on 43 investigations from 9 countries First, the prevalence of various stress reactions among correctional officers (COs) is discussed: turnover and absenteeism rates, psychosomatic diseases, and levels of job dissatisfaction and burnout Next, empirical evidence is summarized for the existence of 10 specific stressors in the CO's job It appears that the most notable stressors for COs are role problems, work overload, demanding social contacts (with prisoners, colleagues, and supervisors), and poor social status Finally, based on 21 articles, individual-oriented and organization-oriented approaches to reduce job stress and burnout among COs are discussed It is concluded that particularly the latter (ie, improving human resources management, professionalization of the CO's job, and improvement of the social work environment) seems to be a promising avenue for reducing job stress and burnout in correctional institutions