Journal section JURISPRUDENCE
A qualitative study of the self-legitimacy of prison workers in Slovenian prisons
Meshko G., Hazin R., Shishigina S. N. A qualitative study of the selflegitimacy of prison workers in Slovenian prisons. Penitenciarnaya nauka = Penitentiary Science. 2020; 14(3):315–324. (In Russ.). DOI 10.46741/2686-9764-2020-14-3-315-324.
The article is based on the results of the research project “Legitimacy of
policing, criminal justice and execution of penal sanctions”, carried out in 2013–2016 with
financial support from the Slovenian Research Agency.
In recent years researchers on self-legitimacy in the prison environment have
addressed the issue of prison officials’ perception of self-legitimacy and recognized the
need for an in-depth study. The aim of the study was to study the self-legitimacy of prison
officials in the context of the Slovenian prison environment. The first part of the article
introduces the concept of self-legitimacy of prison staff, examines the theoretical aspects
of the dual nature of legitimacy, as well as the features of self-legitimacy in the prison
environment. However prison staff includes both prison officials and specialized staff. The
second part of the article presents the results of a qualitative study of the self-legitimacy
of prison workers and gives its detailed characteristics. Analysis of responses from prison
officials and specialist staff focused on issues of legitimacy, relationships with colleagues,
leaders, prisoners, and the stress and subculture of prison staff.
The results of the study showed that the relationship between staff and prisoners plays
a vital role in establishing and maintaining order in the prison environment and the selflegitimacy of prison staff is the basis of their successful interaction with prisoners.
Keywords: legitimacy; self-legitimacy; prison worker; correctional institutions; prisoners
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Professor of the University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia, Doctor of Law.
ORCID 0000-0001-7466-0042
, e-mail mesko@fvv.uni-mb.si
-
Associate Professor at the University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia.
ORCID 0000-0003-2265-5422
, e-mail gorazd.mesko@fvv.uni-mb.si
-
Researcher of the Organizational and Scientific Department of the Vologda Institute of Law and Economics of the Federal Penal Service of Russia, Vologda, Russian Federation.
ORCID 0000-0003-3158-9738
, e-mail sshishigina@inbox.ru
1. Aebi M. F., Hacin R., Tiago M. M., Burkhardt Ch. Ch. A comparative perspective of imprisonment trends in Slovenia
and Europe from 2005 to 2014. Revija za kriminalistiko in kriminologijo – Journal of Criminalistics and Criminology, 2016,
vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 430–442. (In English).
2. Akoensi T. D. Perceptions of self-legitimacy and audience legitimacy among prison officers in Ghana. International
Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 2016, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 245–261. (In English).
3. Barbalet J. Emotions, Social Theory and Social Structure. Cambridge, 2001. (In English).
4. Barker R. Legitimating Identities. The Self-Presentation of Rulers and Subjects. Cambridge, 2001. (In English).
5. Bell C. M., Hughes-Jones J. Power, self-regulation and the moralization of behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 2008,
vol. 83, no. 3, pp. 503–514. (In English).
6. Beetham D. The Legitimation of Power. London, 1991. (In English).
7. Blasko B. L., Taxman F. Are supervision practices procedurally fair? Development and predictive utility of a procedural
justice measure for use in community corrections settings. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2018, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 402–
420. (In English).
8. Bottoms A., Tankebe J., ‘A voice within’. Powerholders’ perspectives on authorityand legitimacy. Legitimacy and Criminal
Justice. Oxford, 2013, pp. 60–82. (In English).
9. Bottoms A., Tankebe J. Beyond procedural justice. A dialogic approach to legitimacy in criminal justice. Journal
of Criminal Law and Criminology, 2012, vol. 102, no. 1, pp. 119–170. (In English).
10. Bowker L. H. An essay on prison violence. The Prison Journal, 1983, vol. 63, no. 1, pp. 24–31. (In English).
11. Brie D. M. The impact of prison conditions on staff well-being. International Journal of Offender Therapy and
Comparative Criminology, 2012, vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 81–95. (In English).
12. Britton D. M. Perceptions of the work environment among correctional officers. Do race and sex matter? Criminology,
1997, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 85–105. (In English).
13. Brought P., Williams J. Managing occupational stress in a high-risk industry. Measuring the job demands of correctional
officers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2007, vol. 34, no. 4., pp. 555–567. (In English).
14. Carson P. P., Carson K. D., Roe C. W. Social power bases. A meta-analytic examination of interrelationships and
outcomes. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 1993, vol. 23, no. 14, pp. 1150–1169. (In English).
15. Clay-Warner J. Organizational justice and job satisfaction. A test of three competing models. Social Justice Research,
2005, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 411–427. (In English).
16. Crawley E. Emotion and performance. Punishment & Society, 2004, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 411–427. (In English).
17. Cressey D. Prison organizations. Handbook of Organizations. Chicago, 1965, pp. 1023–1070. (In English).
18. Crewe B. The Prisoner Society. Power, Adaptation and Social Life in an English Prison. Oxford, 2009. (In English).
19. Finn P. Correctional officer stress. A cause for concern and additional help. Federal Probation, 1998, vol. 62, pp. 65–75.
(In English).
20. French J. R. P. Jr., Raven B. The bases of social power. Studies in Social Power. Ann Arbor, 1959, pp. 259–269.
(In English).
21. Garner B. K. Burnout among corrections-based drug treatment staff. Impact of individual and organizational factors.
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2007, vol. 51, no. 5, pp. 510–522. (In English).
22. Genders E., Player E. Grendon. A Study of a Therapeutic Prison. Oxford, 1995. (In English).
23. Gilbert M. J. The illusion of structure. A critique of the classical model of organization and the discretionary power
of correctional officers. Criminal Justice Review, 1997, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 49–64. (In English).
24. Gordon J. A., Stichman A. J. The influence of rehabilitative and punishment ideology on correctional officers’ perceptions
of informal bases of power. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2015, vol. 60, no. 14,
pp. 1591–1608. (In English).
25. Hacin R. Prison officers’ training in Slovenia. Conference Proceedings “Criminal Justice and Security in Central and
Eastern Europe. Safety, Security, and Social Control in Local Communities”. Ljubljana, 2016, pp. 148–159. (In English).
26. Hacin R., Meško G. Differences in perception of self-legitimacy between prison officers and specialized workers in
Slovenian prisons. Revija za kriminalistiko in kriminologijo – Journal of Criminalistics and Criminology, 2017, vol. 68, no. 4,
pp. 424–436. (In English).
27. Hepburn J. The exercise of power in coercive organizations. A study of prison guards. Criminology, 1985, vol. 23,
no. 1, pp. 146–164. (In English).
28. Hinsch W. Justice, legitimacy, and constitutional rights. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy,
2010, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 39–54. (In English).
29. Jennes V., Calvitam K. ‘It depends on the outcome’. Prisoners, grievances, and perceptions of procedural justice. Law
& Society Review, 2018, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 41–72. (In English).
30. Hirschi T. Causes of Delinquency. Berkeley, 1969. (In English).
31. Kaiser K., Reisig M. D. Legal socialization and self-reported criminal offending.The role of procedural justice and legal
orientations. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 2019, vol. 35, iss. 1, pp. 135–154. (In English).
32. Kauffman K. Prison Officers and Their World. Cambridge, 1988. (In English).
33. Kelman H. C. Prison officers and their world. Public Opinion Quarterly, 1961, vol. 25, pp. 57–78. (In English).
34. Lambert E. G., Hogan N. L., Cheeseman K., Barton-Bellessa Sh. M. The relationship between job stressors and job
involvement among correctional staff. A test of the Job Strain Model. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 2013, vol. 52,
no. 1, pp. 125–146. (In English).
35. Lambert E. G., Jiang Sh. Sh., Hogan N. A preliminary examination of the relationshipbetween organizational structure
and emotional burnout among correctional staff. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, 2010, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 125–
146. (In English).
36. Lasky G. L., Gordon B. C., Srebalus D. J. Occupational stressors among federal correctional officers working in different
security levels. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 1986, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 317–327. (In English).
37. Liebling A. Distinctions and distinctiveness in the work of prison officers. Legitimacy and authority revisited. European
Journal of Criminology, 2011, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 484–499. (In English).
38. Liebling A., Arnold H. Prisons and Their Moral Performance. A Study of Values, Quality, and Prison Life. Oxford, 2005.
(In English).
39. Liebling A., Price D. The Prison Officer. Cambridge, 2001. (In English).
40. Liebling A., Price D. An Exploration of Staff-Prisoners Relationships at HMP Whitemoor. London, 1999. (In English).
41. Mesec B. Uvod v kvalitativno raziskovanje v socialnem delu [Introduction to qualitative research in social work].
Ljubljana, 1998. (In Slovenian).
42. Meško G., Čuvan B., Tankebe J., Sifrer J. Samozaznava legitimnosti policistov in pravosodnih policistov v Sloveniji.
Perspektive postopkovne pravičnosti nadrejenih, odnosov s sodelavci in zaznane legitimnosti policije v javnosti [Selfperception of the legitimacy of police officers and judicial police officers in Slovenia. Perspectives of procedural justice
of superiors, relations with colleagues and perceived legitimacy of the police in public]. Revija za kriminalistiko in kriminologijo –
Journal of Criminalistics and Criminology, 2014, vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 221–231. (In Slovenian).
43. Moon B., Maxwell S. R. Assessing the correctional orientation of correctional officers in South Korea. International
Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2004, vol. 48, no. 6, pp. 729–743. (In English).
44. Muir W. Police. Streetcorner Politicians. Chicago, 1977. (In English).
45. Pan P. J. D., Deng L. Y., Chang S. S., Jiang K. J. ‘Correctional officers’ perception of a solution-focused training program.
Potential implications for working with offenders. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology,
2011, vol. 55, no. 6, pp. 863–879. (In English).
46. Poole E. D., Regoli R. M. Work relations and cynicism among prison guards. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 1980,
vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 303–314. (In English).
47. Reiter K. Making windows in walls. Strategies for prison research. Qualitative Inquiry, 2014, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 417–428.
(In English).
48. Shapira R., Navon D. Staff-inmate co-operation in Israeli prisons. Towards a non-functionalist theory of total institutions.
International Review of Modern Sociology, 1985, vol. 15, no. 1/2, pp. 131–146. (In English).
49. Sparks R., Bottoms A. E., Hay W. Prisons and the Problem of Order. Oxford, 1996. (In English).
50. Steiner B., Wooldredge J. Inmate versus environmental effects on prison rule violations. Criminal Justice and Behavior,
2008, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 438–456. (In English).
51. Stern V. Bricks of Shame. London, 1987. (In English).
52. Tait S. A typology of prison officer approaches to care. European Journal of Criminology, 2011, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 440–
454. (In English).
53. Tankebe J. Rigtful authority. Exploring the structure of police self-legitimacy. Crime, Justice and Social Order. Essays in
Honour of A. E. Bottoms. Oxford, 2014, pp. 1–30. (In English).
54. Tyler T. R. Why People Obey the Law. London, 1990. (In English).
55. Trammel R., Rundle M. M. The inmate as the nonperson. Examining staff conflict from the inmate’s perspective.
The Prison Journal, 2015, vol. 95, no. 4, pp. 472–492. (In English).
56. Uprava Republike Slovenije za izvrševanje kazenskih sankcij. Letno poročilo 2016, 2017 [Administration of the Republic
of Slovenia for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions. Annual Report 2016, 2017]. Available at: https://www.gov.si/assets/
organi-v-sestavi/IRSSS/POROCILA/51fab39528/Letno_porocilo_IRSSS_2017.pdf (accessed 02.06.2018). (In Slovenian).
57. Wright K. N. Job control and occupational outcomes among prison workers. Justice Quarterly, 1997, vol. 14, no. 3,
pp. 525–546. (In English).
58. Wacquant L. The prison is an outlaw institution. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 2012, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 1–15.
(In English).
and Europe from 2005 to 2014. Revija za kriminalistiko in kriminologijo – Journal of Criminalistics and Criminology, 2016,
vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 430–442. (In English).
2. Akoensi T. D. Perceptions of self-legitimacy and audience legitimacy among prison officers in Ghana. International
Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 2016, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 245–261. (In English).
3. Barbalet J. Emotions, Social Theory and Social Structure. Cambridge, 2001. (In English).
4. Barker R. Legitimating Identities. The Self-Presentation of Rulers and Subjects. Cambridge, 2001. (In English).
5. Bell C. M., Hughes-Jones J. Power, self-regulation and the moralization of behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 2008,
vol. 83, no. 3, pp. 503–514. (In English).
6. Beetham D. The Legitimation of Power. London, 1991. (In English).
7. Blasko B. L., Taxman F. Are supervision practices procedurally fair? Development and predictive utility of a procedural
justice measure for use in community corrections settings. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2018, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 402–
420. (In English).
8. Bottoms A., Tankebe J., ‘A voice within’. Powerholders’ perspectives on authorityand legitimacy. Legitimacy and Criminal
Justice. Oxford, 2013, pp. 60–82. (In English).
9. Bottoms A., Tankebe J. Beyond procedural justice. A dialogic approach to legitimacy in criminal justice. Journal
of Criminal Law and Criminology, 2012, vol. 102, no. 1, pp. 119–170. (In English).
10. Bowker L. H. An essay on prison violence. The Prison Journal, 1983, vol. 63, no. 1, pp. 24–31. (In English).
11. Brie D. M. The impact of prison conditions on staff well-being. International Journal of Offender Therapy and
Comparative Criminology, 2012, vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 81–95. (In English).
12. Britton D. M. Perceptions of the work environment among correctional officers. Do race and sex matter? Criminology,
1997, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 85–105. (In English).
13. Brought P., Williams J. Managing occupational stress in a high-risk industry. Measuring the job demands of correctional
officers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2007, vol. 34, no. 4., pp. 555–567. (In English).
14. Carson P. P., Carson K. D., Roe C. W. Social power bases. A meta-analytic examination of interrelationships and
outcomes. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 1993, vol. 23, no. 14, pp. 1150–1169. (In English).
15. Clay-Warner J. Organizational justice and job satisfaction. A test of three competing models. Social Justice Research,
2005, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 411–427. (In English).
16. Crawley E. Emotion and performance. Punishment & Society, 2004, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 411–427. (In English).
17. Cressey D. Prison organizations. Handbook of Organizations. Chicago, 1965, pp. 1023–1070. (In English).
18. Crewe B. The Prisoner Society. Power, Adaptation and Social Life in an English Prison. Oxford, 2009. (In English).
19. Finn P. Correctional officer stress. A cause for concern and additional help. Federal Probation, 1998, vol. 62, pp. 65–75.
(In English).
20. French J. R. P. Jr., Raven B. The bases of social power. Studies in Social Power. Ann Arbor, 1959, pp. 259–269.
(In English).
21. Garner B. K. Burnout among corrections-based drug treatment staff. Impact of individual and organizational factors.
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2007, vol. 51, no. 5, pp. 510–522. (In English).
22. Genders E., Player E. Grendon. A Study of a Therapeutic Prison. Oxford, 1995. (In English).
23. Gilbert M. J. The illusion of structure. A critique of the classical model of organization and the discretionary power
of correctional officers. Criminal Justice Review, 1997, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 49–64. (In English).
24. Gordon J. A., Stichman A. J. The influence of rehabilitative and punishment ideology on correctional officers’ perceptions
of informal bases of power. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2015, vol. 60, no. 14,
pp. 1591–1608. (In English).
25. Hacin R. Prison officers’ training in Slovenia. Conference Proceedings “Criminal Justice and Security in Central and
Eastern Europe. Safety, Security, and Social Control in Local Communities”. Ljubljana, 2016, pp. 148–159. (In English).
26. Hacin R., Meško G. Differences in perception of self-legitimacy between prison officers and specialized workers in
Slovenian prisons. Revija za kriminalistiko in kriminologijo – Journal of Criminalistics and Criminology, 2017, vol. 68, no. 4,
pp. 424–436. (In English).
27. Hepburn J. The exercise of power in coercive organizations. A study of prison guards. Criminology, 1985, vol. 23,
no. 1, pp. 146–164. (In English).
28. Hinsch W. Justice, legitimacy, and constitutional rights. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy,
2010, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 39–54. (In English).
29. Jennes V., Calvitam K. ‘It depends on the outcome’. Prisoners, grievances, and perceptions of procedural justice. Law
& Society Review, 2018, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 41–72. (In English).
30. Hirschi T. Causes of Delinquency. Berkeley, 1969. (In English).
31. Kaiser K., Reisig M. D. Legal socialization and self-reported criminal offending.The role of procedural justice and legal
orientations. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 2019, vol. 35, iss. 1, pp. 135–154. (In English).
32. Kauffman K. Prison Officers and Their World. Cambridge, 1988. (In English).
33. Kelman H. C. Prison officers and their world. Public Opinion Quarterly, 1961, vol. 25, pp. 57–78. (In English).
34. Lambert E. G., Hogan N. L., Cheeseman K., Barton-Bellessa Sh. M. The relationship between job stressors and job
involvement among correctional staff. A test of the Job Strain Model. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 2013, vol. 52,
no. 1, pp. 125–146. (In English).
35. Lambert E. G., Jiang Sh. Sh., Hogan N. A preliminary examination of the relationshipbetween organizational structure
and emotional burnout among correctional staff. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, 2010, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 125–
146. (In English).
36. Lasky G. L., Gordon B. C., Srebalus D. J. Occupational stressors among federal correctional officers working in different
security levels. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 1986, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 317–327. (In English).
37. Liebling A. Distinctions and distinctiveness in the work of prison officers. Legitimacy and authority revisited. European
Journal of Criminology, 2011, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 484–499. (In English).
38. Liebling A., Arnold H. Prisons and Their Moral Performance. A Study of Values, Quality, and Prison Life. Oxford, 2005.
(In English).
39. Liebling A., Price D. The Prison Officer. Cambridge, 2001. (In English).
40. Liebling A., Price D. An Exploration of Staff-Prisoners Relationships at HMP Whitemoor. London, 1999. (In English).
41. Mesec B. Uvod v kvalitativno raziskovanje v socialnem delu [Introduction to qualitative research in social work].
Ljubljana, 1998. (In Slovenian).
42. Meško G., Čuvan B., Tankebe J., Sifrer J. Samozaznava legitimnosti policistov in pravosodnih policistov v Sloveniji.
Perspektive postopkovne pravičnosti nadrejenih, odnosov s sodelavci in zaznane legitimnosti policije v javnosti [Selfperception of the legitimacy of police officers and judicial police officers in Slovenia. Perspectives of procedural justice
of superiors, relations with colleagues and perceived legitimacy of the police in public]. Revija za kriminalistiko in kriminologijo –
Journal of Criminalistics and Criminology, 2014, vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 221–231. (In Slovenian).
43. Moon B., Maxwell S. R. Assessing the correctional orientation of correctional officers in South Korea. International
Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2004, vol. 48, no. 6, pp. 729–743. (In English).
44. Muir W. Police. Streetcorner Politicians. Chicago, 1977. (In English).
45. Pan P. J. D., Deng L. Y., Chang S. S., Jiang K. J. ‘Correctional officers’ perception of a solution-focused training program.
Potential implications for working with offenders. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology,
2011, vol. 55, no. 6, pp. 863–879. (In English).
46. Poole E. D., Regoli R. M. Work relations and cynicism among prison guards. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 1980,
vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 303–314. (In English).
47. Reiter K. Making windows in walls. Strategies for prison research. Qualitative Inquiry, 2014, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 417–428.
(In English).
48. Shapira R., Navon D. Staff-inmate co-operation in Israeli prisons. Towards a non-functionalist theory of total institutions.
International Review of Modern Sociology, 1985, vol. 15, no. 1/2, pp. 131–146. (In English).
49. Sparks R., Bottoms A. E., Hay W. Prisons and the Problem of Order. Oxford, 1996. (In English).
50. Steiner B., Wooldredge J. Inmate versus environmental effects on prison rule violations. Criminal Justice and Behavior,
2008, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 438–456. (In English).
51. Stern V. Bricks of Shame. London, 1987. (In English).
52. Tait S. A typology of prison officer approaches to care. European Journal of Criminology, 2011, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 440–
454. (In English).
53. Tankebe J. Rigtful authority. Exploring the structure of police self-legitimacy. Crime, Justice and Social Order. Essays in
Honour of A. E. Bottoms. Oxford, 2014, pp. 1–30. (In English).
54. Tyler T. R. Why People Obey the Law. London, 1990. (In English).
55. Trammel R., Rundle M. M. The inmate as the nonperson. Examining staff conflict from the inmate’s perspective.
The Prison Journal, 2015, vol. 95, no. 4, pp. 472–492. (In English).
56. Uprava Republike Slovenije za izvrševanje kazenskih sankcij. Letno poročilo 2016, 2017 [Administration of the Republic
of Slovenia for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions. Annual Report 2016, 2017]. Available at: https://www.gov.si/assets/
organi-v-sestavi/IRSSS/POROCILA/51fab39528/Letno_porocilo_IRSSS_2017.pdf (accessed 02.06.2018). (In Slovenian).
57. Wright K. N. Job control and occupational outcomes among prison workers. Justice Quarterly, 1997, vol. 14, no. 3,
pp. 525–546. (In English).
58. Wacquant L. The prison is an outlaw institution. The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 2012, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 1–15.
(In English).
