Mental health conditions among correctional officers in Nusakambangan, Indonesia

Abstract

Backgound: Several studies have found a relationship between work environment conditions and employee mental health. However, there are very few studies on the mental health of employees working in correctional institutions, with different levels of risk and security threats.

Purpose: To find differences in the mental health of correctional officers in correctional institutions who work with different levels of security medium, maximum, and super-maximum. 

Method: Data were collected using a mental health scale on one hundred and sixteen correctional officers on Nusakambangan Island, Cilacap Regency, Central Java. (Super-maximum n = 37, maximum n = 50, and Medium n = 29. The Mental Health Inventory (MHI-38), created by Veit and Ware (1983), was used to measure mental health. The MHI-38 has been translated into Indonesian and tested into 24 items after being modified for validity and reliability. 

Results: Correctional guards' mental health differed between medium, maximum, and super-maximum security correctional institutions, according to the test of difference (Sig.<0.05, F = 4.034). Officers at medium security scored lower on the danger perception scale than those at Max and Super-Max prisons. On the other hand, medium correctional officers demonstrated better mental health than Super-Max correctional officers. A substantial difference in mental health was found between the Med and Max prisons (0.046, CI =.09:8.54) and Super-Max (0.06, CI = 1.87:10.85) according to the difference tests conducted on the mental health of officers at medium, maximum, and super-maximum security correctional institutions.

Conclusion: This study found that there are differences in the mental health of officers in correctional institutions with different security levels. Officers working in super-maximum correctional institutions showed the lowest level of mental health compared to the other two prisons. The implication of this study recommends the importance of officer mental health maintenance programs with a policy of rotation of employees to correctional institutions in different security levels.