AMStrength program in Canadian federal correctional services: correctional officers’ views and interpretations

ABSTRACT

Scholars and correctional officials have begun to recognize the association of correctional work with occupational stressors that deteriorate mental health and well-being. Yet, programs and policies to support prison staff as they navigate physical, emotional, and psychological challenges are limited, with scarce empirical evidence supporting their usefulness to employees. We examine the Advanced Mental Strength and Conditioning (AMStrength) program using semi-structured interviews with 70 correctional officers after they completed a year on the job. Among our findings, we highlight that 80% of participants have not used AMStrength since being their training during recruitment. However, AMStrength fulfills a vital role in promoting awareness, including self-awareness of mental health.

KEYWORDS:

• Mental health
• correctional programming
• correctional officers
• well-being
• AMStrength

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The research supporting this article received funding from the Canadian Institute of Health Research [grants No. 449140, 211387, 411385], Correctional Services Canada, and the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO-SACC-CSN).

Notes on contributors

Rosemary Ricciardelli

Dr. Rosemary Ricciardelli is a Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Memorial University. Elected to the Royal Society of Canada, her research centers on evolving understandings of gender, vulnerabilities, risk, and experiences and issues within different facets of the criminal justice system.

Marcella Siqueira Cassiano

Marcella Siqueira Cassiano is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Sociology Department of Memorial University. Her research focuses on surveillance, correctional services, and mental health.

Michael Adorjan

Michael Adorjan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Calgary, and Fellow with the Centre for Criminology, University of Hong Kong. His recent research and teaching focus on youth and cyber-risk, privacy and surveillance.

Meghan M. Mitchell

Meghan M. Mitchell, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida. Her current research examines the areas of corrections, subcultures, reentry, and research methodologies.