Criminal justice specialists are exposed to stressors that can lead to burnout and professional disability. Factors that lead to excessive stress at work can include constant contact with victims of violence, poor management, work overload, and lack of equipment and employees (May et al., 2020). The increased level of stress among criminal justice workers is directly related to the field of criminal justice. Tired and unmotivated employees pose a threat to public safety.
Working in the field of criminal justice is dangerous due to the threat to life. It is also emotionally exhausting because of the work’s specifics. The social factor of stress in the work of criminal justice professionals is aggression and threat from citizens and criminals (Paoline III & Gau, 2020). From a political perspective, criminal justice professionals are given an undue responsibility for public safety, which can be a major stressor. Culturally, there has been a tendency of distrust to criminal justice officials (Bell, 2019). Due to such attitude, professionals may feel misunderstood and not receive enough support, which also leads to stress.
The organization of the justice system itself may have contributed to increased staff stress. Lack of employees due to insufficient motivation leads to overwork, which provokes stress. Representatives of all departments, from law enforcement specialists to correctional institutions’ professionals, can face an overestimated workload. Insufficient funding can lead to a loss of a sense of security among representatives of law enforcement agencies, which results in emotional stress. Poor management causes employees to perform a varied range of tasks, leading to burnout.
The criminal justice system is aware of the seriousness of the current problem and is trying to adapt to the emerging trend. The national justice system is currently looking into the effects of PTSD and bystander syndrome on its workers (Dawson, 2019). The importance of reducing stress to guarantee labor rights and ensure the stability of society is recognized. Stress management programs include medical testing for police officers (Dawson, 2019). The judicial and correctional systems are less adapted to the current trend.
For criminal justice professionals, the most important contribution of national policy is recognizing the importance of the problem and finding ways to address it. In practice, the workload begins to decrease, additional funding appears to ensure the functioning of the structures (Tan et al., 2022). However, the efforts made may not be enough, because attention is mainly focused on those specialists who accept a direct threat to life and health. National psychological assistance programs should take into account the interests of all criminal justice personnel.
Increasing stress on criminal justice workers is a danger not only to them, but to society as a whole. A person who is constantly exposed to stress and is in a phase of emotional burnout cannot effectively perform their duties. The criminal justice officer must be motivated to help, empathize, and enforce law, which cannot be done under constant stress (Endsley, 2021). Because of this factor, the level of security of the whole society is reduced.
In conclusion, excessive stress on criminal justice professionals poses a threat to public safety. Social, cultural and political factors impose responsibility on employees while leaving no opportunity for staying motivated to work. At the moment, the system is moving towards recognition of the current problem and is looking for ways to eliminate it, such as psychological assistance programs. To truly reduce the stress of criminal justice staff, a concerted effort of the state and society is needed.
References
Bell, M. C. (2019). The community in criminal justice: Subordination, consumption, resistance, and transformation. Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, 16(1), 197-220. Web.
Dawson, J. (2019). Fighting stress in the law enforcement community. National Institute of Justice. Web.
Endsley, K. (2021). Criminal justice professionals: A practical career guide. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
May, D. C., Lambert, E. G., Leone, M. C., Keena, L. D., & Haynes, S. H. (2020). Stress among correctional officers: An organizational justice approach. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45(1), 454-473. Web.
Paoline III, E. A., & Gau, J. M. (2020). An empirical assessment of the sources of police job satisfaction. Police Quarterly, 23(1), 55-81. Web.
Tan, Y. S., Zalzuli, A. D., Ang, J., Ho, H. F., & Tan, C. (2022). Understanding the workload of police investigators: A human factors approach. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 37(2), 447-456. Web.