Miss Catherine Clancy1,2,3, Doctor Natalie Martschuk2, Professor Susan Dennison1,3, Professor Martine Powell2,3
1Transforming Corrections to Transform Lives Centre, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, 2Centre for Investigative Interviewing, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, 3School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
Biography:
Catherine Clancy is a PhD candidate at Griffith University researching communication between custodial staff and incarcerated women, examining both parties' perspectives and evaluating staff communication skills. She has published research on how interview quality affects risk assessment of young people who sexually offend. Alongside her PhD, Catherine works as a Training Assistant for the Centre for Investigative Interviewing, delivering instruction and feedback on investigative interviewing to professionals in policing, corrections, law, and social work, and as a Higher Degree by Research Teaching Fellow, convening and tutoring undergraduate criminology courses. She also facilitates trauma-informed yoga classes at a Queensland women's prison.
Abstract:
Correctional officers working in women’s correctional facilities communicate daily with increasing numbers of women with diverse and complex needs, most of whom have disadvantaged and traumatic backgrounds. Their role requires adequate knowledge and skills to communicate in ways that do not trigger trauma responses, show empathy, maintain women’s dignity and respect, and ultimately, foster a rehabilitative prison environment. Despite the need for staff to have high-level interpersonal communication competence, few studies have explored the nature of correctional officer communication with women in prison. To address this gap, this research used semi-structured qualitative interviews to examine the perspectives of 21 custodial staff working in women’s correctional centres in Queensland. Interviews explored staff’s experiences and challenges in communicating with women in prison. The data were subjected to thematic analysis. Officers reported that they consider communication with the women in prison as at the core of their work and that there is variability in staff approaches to communication. Notably, officers associated six communication strategies as supporting positive carceral outcomes. These strategies were: developing a rapport with the women, remaining neutral, listening to the women, communicating with transparency, empathy and compassion, and eliciting information. The perceived positive outcomes included enhanced safety and security, improved staff working conditions and productivity, and the promotion of the well-being of both the staff and the women. Given a goal of correctional institutions is for officers to effectively communicate with women in prison to achieve positive carceral outcomes, there are opportunities to enhance effective staff communication through appropriate training.