This special issue will advance understanding of the health and wellbeing of prison staff, a group often overlooked in criminological and occupational health research. We seek to foreground the diverse physical, mental, and social health challenges faced by correctional workers (and not just a focus on prison officers) across different international and institutional contexts. The issue will highlight how structural, cultural, and interpersonal dynamics within prison environments shape staff wellbeing and contribute to burnout, resilience, and occupational identity. By bringing together empirical, theoretical, and practice-based contributions, the issue will offer critical insights into how prison staff health is managed, neglected, or supported. The special edition will include interdisciplinary research that spans public health, criminology, sociology, psychology, and organisational studies, showcasing both qualitative and quantitative approaches. In doing so, we aim to provide support for evidence-informed policies and interventions intended toward promoting safer, healthier prison workplaces for all staff.
The special issue will offer a timely and original contribution by centring the health and wellbeing of prison staff as a primary focus, rather than a peripheral concern. While existing literature often prioritises prisoner health or institutional security, this edition foregrounds the lived experiences and occupational realities of staff across varied roles and jurisdictions. We will do so by bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives to explore how carceral environments affect physical health, mental wellbeing, and professional identity.
There is a growing scholarly attention on prison officers and their work, with reports and research from many jurisdictions highlighting a disturbing trend—correctional officers face escalating physical, mental, and cultural health burdens far exceeding those of other public-sector workers. Another systematic literature review underscores rising job stress and burnout among prison staff worldwide, identifying key predictors and outcomes requiring urgent investigation (Costa et al., 2024). Additionally, a number of edited collections and monographs have analysed the diverse roles that prison officers undertake internationally (Arnold et al., 2023). Yet, we require more insight into how others working in correctional spaces experience their health.
This special issue addresses critical societal challenges related to workplace health, institutional resilience, and human rights within carceral systems. By focusing on the health and wellbeing of prison staff, our edition responds to urgent concerns about workforce sustainability, organisational culture, and the broader societal impacts of prison system failure—including increased violence, high turnover, and diminished rehabilitative capacity. The issue will shed light on how neglecting staff wellbeing contributes to systemic harm, not only within prison walls but across justice, health, and social care systems.
List of Topic Areas
- Public health in prison
- Staff health and wellbeing
- Occupational Health and Mental Wellbeing
- Organisational Culture and Institutional Support
- Health Interventions and Best Practice Models
- Global and Comparative Perspectives
- Theoretical and Methodological Innovation
Journal Information: Scopus journal Q2, H-Index 28
Submission Information
Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here:
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see:
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”.
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.
Key Dates
Closing date for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026
For more details refer here
