STRESS AND WORKING IN PRISONS

My friends, Aisha was a information officer at departemen of Information, with eleven years'experience. She was moved to prison. She always faces prisoners with violence and she saw her friends has an aggresive behaviour, she felt uncomfortable. The case of Aisha show that prisons is a stressful place to work.

The Effect of Stress
The effect of stress have an influence on many areas of our lives. Stress can lead to physical an psychological illness, problems work, disturbence in our families and social lives, addition, and perhaps even criminal behaviour (David J. Cooke, Pamela J. Baldwin, and Jacqueline Howison, Psychology in Prisons, 1990):

1. Psychological Disturbence
The scientific evidence shows that stressful experiences lead to psychological disturbence, stressful experiences have been shown to cause anxiety, depression, mental illness, and suicidal behaviour. Depression and anxiety are the most common effects. When some one is depressed, will experience sadness, tearfulness, irritability, concern about him or herself, the world and the future. That person may have suicidal ideas, their sleep may be disturbed, their weight may drop and concentration may be poor. People who are anxious may experience considerable physical tension. Their sleep may disturbed, worry, and concentration may be disturbed.

2. Physical Illness and Disturbence
There is also evidence shows that stressful experiences can lead to both minor and major physical disturbence. At minor level : stress may lead to fatigue, headaches, impaired cencentration, sleep disturbence, indigestion.Stress may also lead to more serious and profound physical problems : skin problems, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease to sexual difficulties, peptic ulcers, and inflammation of the appendix.

3. Family and Social Disturbence
Stressful experiences can lead, either directly or indirectly, to significant family and social problems. Stress can lead to longstanding marital conflicts, also stop going to his social clubs or going to see friends.

4. Addiction
Stress may lead to addiction. By addiction is menat an over - dependence on food, alcohol, drugs or nicotine, because they feel better if they eat, drink, smoke or use drugs. If such activities continue for along time , it possible addictes to these substances. The addictions result in their own health and social problems.

5. Criminal Behaviour
Stressful experiences may lead people to commit certain forms of criminal acts, example : the case of shop lifting or some cases.

6. Difficulties at Work
Stress in the home and stress in the work - place can lead to difficulties at work. Three major types of problem emerged at work :
- 1. aften absent from work for short periodes;
-2. failled to carry aout the walfare duties;
-3. less able to cope quickly when difficult situations developed.(These evidences in a study of prison officers in New Jersey)
Why are Prison Stressful Placess ?If we aks some prison officers they will talk that they do not suffer from stress but all their work - mates do. The Americans call this the "Jhon Wayne Syndrome". The evidence of mortality statistics show that prison officers have a higher risk of heart disease than the general population, because habits of smoking, drinking or overagting. The rate of minor psychological problems seems to be high in the officers. There are probably three reasons:
1. Nature of The Job :
- deal with difficult and disturbed individuals whose behaviour is, at times, unpredictable.- must be vigilant
- and more general level the lack of stimulation or chanllenge ini many prison officers' job canbe distressing.

2. Role in The Organisation
Stress exist in prison because :
- there is poor communication from above. Orders, polcies, and procedures are changed butthese changes are not communicated.
- the majority of prison officers have little impact on polices : the lack of involvement indecision - making can be highly stressful.
- a final aspect of the prison officers' job is the ambiguity of the job : concern for security andconcern for the walfare of prisons.

3. Prisons and The Outside World
- Society can have a negative view of the prison officer.
- Friends and neighbours often do not appreciate the difficulties of the job.
- A futher difficulty may be the fear of physical abuse by ex-prisoners on the officer or hisfamily.These are soem of the factors which make prisons stressful places to work in.