The Disadvantages of Being a Correctional Officer

by Ralph Heibutzki
Correctional officers often search inmates for weapons and other illegal items.

Correctional officers often search inmates for weapons and other illegal items.

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Correctional officers oversee inmates of jails and prisons, and are responsible for enforcing the rules of their confinement. As a profession, corrections work is one of the most stressful in law enforcement. Officers must remain continually alert during eight- to 16-hour shifts to avoid being attacked or killed by the offenders that they supervise. The intensity of these environments often prompts officers to shut down emotionally, reducing their ability to function effectively within the institution.


Correctional officers face constant risk of being assaulted or maimed by inmates turning common objects into unconventional weapons. These materials include broken glass, locks, safety razors and toiletries. The greatest threat comes from objects sharpened to become weapons, according to a research report submitted to the U.S. Justice Department in November 2007. Toothbrushes, for example, can be sharpened for stabbing, or reshaped to hold metal blades. Officers must remain constantly vigilant for such threats, which boosts their physical and mental stress.

Job Burnout

Custodial environments seesaw between lengthy periods of boredom and isolation, as well as physical danger. To cope with these extremes, correctional officers will disassociate themselves emotionally from their surroundings. However, this mindset also leaves officers vulnerable to job burnout, according to an article posted on the website. Officers focus on getting through shifts without incident, but no longer care about what they're doing. Eventually, the officer loses the ability to empathize with those around him, a phenomenon that's commonly labeled as "compassion fatigue."

Mortality Rates

Correctional officers suffer the second highest mortality rate of any occupation, according to statistics posted by the Maine Department of Public Safety. Due to the job's unrelenting physical and psychological stresses, the average correctional officer lives just 18 months after retirement. A study of retired correctional and law enforcement personnel in Florida also found similar disparities between both groups of officers and the general population. Overall, Florida residents enjoyed an average lifespan of 74.2 years, or 12 years longer than correctional and police officers.

Psychological Stress

As a group, correctional officers are more likely to suffer significant psychological stress. The emotional control needed to handle assaults, inmate confrontations and other institutional realities also means no psychological reprieve for the officer who works in such environments, according to "CorrectionsOne" magazine. Officers can suffer lasting mental trauma that makes it difficult or impossible to separate home and work life. The introduction of these stresses into the home also makes itself felt in above average rates for divorce, domestic abuse and suicide.

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