Unsafe and Unsettling: An Integrative Review on Correctional Nursing Work Environments and Stressors.
Elizabeth Keller, Samantha Boch, Beverly M Hittle
PMID 35093958WHAT IT FOUND
Correctional nurses face high stress from workplace violence, ethical conflicts with security protocols, and heavy workloads.
While many report job satisfaction from meaningful work, the review links these stressors to burnout and intent to leave, highlighting a critical need for better staffing and safety support.
Key findings
01The primary stressors for correctional nurses are conflict (ethical/security clashes), fear (violence/bullying), and demands (understaffing/workload).
02Exposure to workplace violence is extremely high, with one study reporting 96.5% of nurses experienced being yelled at, threatened, or hurt in the past year.
03Security protocols frequently override clinical judgment, causing moral distress; 91.1% of nurses in one study reported complying with rules contrary to their personal ethics.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 11 studies met the inclusion criteria, limiting the breadth of evidence. All included studies were nonexperimental (Level III), so causality between stressors and outcomes cannot be proven. The review included older articles due to the small number of qualifying studies. There was significant variation in how different countries and facilities defined correctional settings and nursing roles. Some studies did not clearly distinguish between the experiences of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and advanced practice nurses.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high rates of job satisfaction mentioned in the review as evidence that the work environment is healthy. The review found that satisfaction coexists with high burnout and intent to leave, driven by the meaningful nature of the work despite dangerous and ethically compromising conditions.