Professional Development Orientation of the Prison Service Officers – Survey Report

The conducted research relates to the interest in the personal and professional development of the Prison Service officers. The research was carried out using the diagnostic survey method, applying the Professional Development Orientation Scale (ZPR) by Gaś and the survey respondents were 72 officers of the Prison Service from the Lublin Custody Suite and the Penal Institution in Siedlce. The results indicate that the surveyed officers obtained a slightly higher average result in terms of their attitude towards developing professional competences than their personal characteristics. The personal variables include education and the job position determine the interest in professional development, with the most development-oriented are guards and respondents with secondary education.


INTRODUCTION
Uniformed public services include, among others, the Prison Service. One of its tasks, as stated in the Act on the Prison Service, is conducting penitentiary and resocialisation actions against convicted persons serving a prison sentence (Act of 9 April 2010 on the Prison Service -Journal of Laws 2018.0.1542 -Article 2, item 2, point 2).
According HM Prison & Probation Service in United Kingdom prison officers are responsible for the security, supervision, training and rehabilitation of 10.17951/j.2020.33.4.175-189 people sent to prison by the courts. To the skills he should have prison officer include, among others: strong interpersonal skills, including assertiveness and selfmotivation, excellent communication and people skills, with the ability to get on with a range of people, personal integrity and resilience, leadership potential and the ability to take responsibility, team working skills and the ability to learn from others, effective decision-making skills, organisational skills, the ability to remain calm under pressure, self-confidence and emotional intelligence, physical stamina a commitment to quality and awareness of how prisons fit within the wider criminal justice system and the community in general (AGCAS, 2019).
The role of Prison Service officers in the process of social rehabilitation of convicted persons is not in doubt, but many factors must be considered for the impact to be effective and bring the intended effect. They include those related to the workplace, its character, organisation of service, professional preparation and qualifications, as well as specific personal characteristics that predispose to fulfil the tasks entrusted to the Prison Service officers.
According to Robert Poklek (2018, pp. 151-152), the professionalism of employees of penitentiary units regardless of the division in which they work is associated with having knowledge, among others on legal regulations regarding the penitentiary system or international standards related to the functioning of the penitentiary system (including dealing with prisoners), and should also have skills that require adequate response in various professional situations or understanding of the psychosocial mechanisms of behaviour of imprisoned persons to adjust their actions. Moreover, officers are required to have high level of physical fitness and skills in the use of direct coercion measures and ethics. In addition to these competences, an officer should have communication skills to maintain appropriate interpersonal relationships, the ability to cooperate and act in accordance with the principles of professional ethics. At the same time, the author emphasises that it is important for the officers to be convinced of the need for continuous professional development.
The work of penitentiary staff on a daily basis requires establishing and maintaining relationships with imprisoned persons or detainees, therefore, social competences and skills determine the quality of functioning in social situations.
The research conducted by Gaś (2008a, 2008b, 2008c), Poleszak (2008 and Porzak (2008) shows that the effectiveness of social rehabilitation measures depends more on the quality of staff functioning than on introducing subsequent formal changes, e.g. in work organisation (Gaś, 2010, p. 13).
Research on competence among prison officers was carried out by, among others, Boyd and Grant (2005). The hypotheses were that overall competence and professionalism ratings would not differ for men and women officers, but that there would be differences in how men and women were perceived to perform their roles. Women were expected to be rated as more communicative, more em-pathic and less disciplining. The study was conducted among 57 prisoners who were to assess the competence of prison officers. The results obtained indicate that no significant difference in prisoners' ratings of overall competence of men and women officers. Of the PORS subscales, there were no gender differences in Discipline and Control, Communication or Empathy, but there was a significant difference in Professionalism, where prisoners rated women as more professional.
Also research conducted by Whitehead and Lindquist (1989), point to sources of correctional officers' professional orientation (attitudes toward inmates and toward interaction with inmates) suggested important individual characteristic and organisational condition variables, considered to be determinants of orientation. As was true of several other investigations of officers' attitudes, however, little of the variation was explained.
Research leading by farkas (2001) on individual variables that impact correctional officer attitudes has focused on how gender, race, education, and the age of officers influences their work-related attitudes. Research on the impact of organisational variables on officers' work attitudes have addressed the influence of seniority; shift and frequency of inmate contact; role conflict, role stress, and job stress; participation in decision making, and job satisfaction. Regarding individual variables, the majority of research shows that age is related to a more positive attitude among officers and a belief in the rehabilitative potential of inmates. This finding challenges the view that an individual must be young in order to cope with the rigors of correctional work. Minority officers had more positive attitudes toward working with inmates. female officers, depending on their approach, enjoyed the challenge of working in corrections, held positive attitudes toward the inmates, and relied on their interpersonal skills to manage them. Nevertheless, female and minority officers reported some difficulties in working with their coworkers. Most studies concluded that the longer an officer has worked on the job, the greater the interest in rehabilitation and a human service role. Officers who feel stressed or conflicted about their role held more punitive attitudes toward inmates (farkas, 2001, pp. 20-26).
Therefore, penitentiary staff should have good substantive preparation, i.e. professional qualifications that will determine the direction of social rehabilitation impacts. It is because the organisation of work, management of the employee community, regulation of relations between educators and prisoners, level, scope, forms and intensity of cooperation with the local community, acceptance of work and giving it a proper sense, and rehabilitation professionalism (i.e. the ability to diagnose, programming the resocialisation process, or assessment of the course of this process, etc.) depend on the employees (Machel, 2007, p. 229).
However, in order to achieve the set goals, the penitentiary staff should have the possibility of continuous professional development, which will be understood in this study as " [...] acquiring, developing and implementing in practice profes-sional knowledge about themselves and the world; inter-psychological, interpersonal and social skills; and personal life experiences. Its goal is to achieve professional competence, specified in the form of an ideal professional role model" (Gaś, 2010, p. 14).
One of the models explaining the meaning and sense of professional development is the SMART (Stimulus -Modification -Amplification -Reconstruction -Transformation) model developed by Burke and colleagues, which is characterised by a connection between the individual phases that interfere in the functioning of the institution (in this case the penitentiary unit). When adopting this model of supporting professional development, two dimensions should be taken into account: individual, personal and institutional, within which mutual relations between providing support and challenging employees are important. The authors of the model pointed to the occurrence of four types of relationships within the model, namely: -if the employee has low support and is also not presented with clear challenges, then they adopt a passive attitude, do not reflect on their professional preparation, which in turn leads to a lack of involvement in activities aimed at professional development; -if an employee experiences low level of support, but is accompanied by high expectations, then they may feel anxious and threatened, which may result in withdrawal from the possibility of improvement; -if an employee receives high level of support while there are no clear challenges, the consequence is a belief in the rightness and correctness of their own professional activities, and thus no need for development and improvement in their profession; -if an employee receives high level of support and at the same time is accompanied by high challenges, they have optimal conditions for professional development, and also adopt an open attitude to criticism of working methods and their possible modifications (Gaś, 2010, pp. 15-17).

OWN RESEARCH
The effectiveness of social rehabilitation interactions, as already mentioned, depends to a large extent on personal characteristics, professional competences, as well as attitudes towards their development. Therefore, the purpose of the undertaken research is to determine the demand for professional development of prison officers. The following specific questions were asked for the research purpose: 1. What is the demand for professional development of the Prison Service officers surveyed in terms of personal characteristics and professional competences? 2. Do the age, education, seniority and position of the surveyed officers determine the demand for professional development?
A working hypothesis was formulated for the second question. It assumes that assumed that the sociodemographic variables included in the research model, i.e. age, education, seniority and position, held statistically significantly differentiate the demand for the development of professional prison officers.
The studies were carried out individually using the diagnostic survey method and survey questionnaire techniques. The research tool used was the Questionnaire of Professional Development Orientation by Zbigniew Gaś (2004). This is a scale that is a modified version of the Professional Performance Characteristics by Gaś, which consists in the fact that the respondent estimates on a ten-point scale his or her need for educational activities that are directed at improving one of the education areas (with the scale from 1 -a total lack of interest in improving of this competence/characteristics up to 10 -very high interest in the improvement of this competence/traits). There are two scale blocks in the questionnaire, each with six areas.
Block I is related to Personal features related to the following areas: Positive attitude towards oneself, Personal growth and development, Autonomy, Adequate perception of reality, Competence in action and positive interpersonal relations. In turn, Block II, covers professional competences within which there are: Interpretative competences, Moral competences, Communication competences, Pedagogical postulates, Methodological competences and Implementation competences. In the tool, the author identified three general measures that indicate: the need to stimulate the development of personality maturity (ZO indicator), the need to improve the level of professional competence (ZP indicator), the need to enhance personal resources (GZO indicator).
The survey respondents were 72 officers of the Prison Service from the Lublin Custody Suite (40 persons) and the Penal Institution in Siedlce (32 persons).
The following tests were used in statistical analysis: Student's t-test for independent samples, U-Mann-Withney test and Kruskal-Wallis test for independent samples. The SPSS program version 25.0 was used for statistical analyses. Due to the small size of the sample obtained research results cannot be generalised to the entire population of prison officers in Poland.

CHARACTERISTICS Of THE RESPONDENTS
Majority of the study group were men, which is consistent with the distribution typical for Prison Service officers. It should be noted that in recent years more and more women take up work in penitentiary units. There were 14 women among the respondents, which is 19.4% of the total number of respondents and 58 men, which is 80.6% of the study group.
Taking into account the age of the surveyed Prison Service officers, the average age is 36 years, with the youngest person being 25 years old and the old-est being 50 years old. Analysing the place of residence of the surveyed people, 47 people (65.2%) live in the city, and 25 officers in the countryside (34.8%). The education of the surveyed officers is another sociodemographic variable covered by the study. The most numerous group consists of persons with MA education -62.5%. Every fourth of the surveyed officers has secondary education, and 12.5% of those participating in the survey have higher vocational education.
Analysing the job seniority of the surveyed officers, the shortest is of 4 months, and the longest of 23 years. The average length of seniority of the Prison Service surveyed officers is of 9 years, with 45.8% of the respondents with up to 9 years of service, while 54.2% of the officers surveyed with over 9 years of service.
The last of the analysed variables is the position taken. The survey covered officers working in two departments, namely penitentiary and security departments, because they are people who work on the so-called "first line" with imprisoned persons, i.e. they have direct contact with them. Educators constitute 44.4% of the surveyed group, while wards and guards make 27.8% of the total. Detailed data is presented in table 1. The data presented in table 2 show that the surveyed Prison Service officers in the field of personal features show the greatest interest in development in the field of "positive interpersonal relationships" (M = 6.83), which are understood as a partnership exchange of mutual understanding, respect and positive emotions. However, the smallest interest was noted in the development of a "positive attitude towards each other" (M = 6.24), which manifests itself in acceptance of oneself the way we are with our own capabilities and limitations. This may indicate that the Prison Service officers surveyed are characterised by adequate morale and a sense of self-esteem.
As for the development of professional competences, the highest average values were observed in the scales regarding methodological (M = 6.79) and implementation competences (M = 6.81), which may indicate that the respondents perceived the need to improve organisation of actions that will bring them closer to achieving the intended goal based on your knowledge and skills. The lowest demand for development was recorded in the area of communication competences, which may indicate that the respondents perceive themselves as open and accepting people (M = 6.49).
In terms of overall results, the surveyed officers obtained a slightly higher average results in the attitude to develop professional competences than their personal characteristics (M = 39.78; M = 39.17), which may result from the awareness of continuous improvement of their work workshop to be able to effectively plan and achieve set goals in working with imprisoned persons.

DEVELOPMENT Of THE PRISON SERVICE OFFICERS
The following sociodemographic variables describing Prison Service officers were taken into account in the analyses: age, gender, place of residence, education, job seniority and position (department).
The use of the t-student test for independent samples indicates that the age of the surveyed officers statistically significantly differentiates the demand for professional development in terms of the analysed variables as: "adequate perception of reality" (p < 0.04); "competence in action" (p < 0.04) and "pedagogical postulates" (p < 0.01), but it should be emphasised that the Prison Service officers of up to 36 years of age are more interested in the development. The average results indicate that in the group of officers of up to 36 years of age, the greatest interest in the development of personal characteristics concerns "adequate perception of reality" (M = 7.14) and "competence in action" (M = 7.16). Regarding professional competences, the respondents most often want to develop methodological and implementation competences (M = 7.14), as do the respondents who are 36 years old and older. The results obtained on the scale of personal traits indicate that officers who are 36 years old and older have the greatest interest in developing "positive interpersonal relationships" (M = 6.32) and "autonomy" (M = 6.04) (table 3).
Analysing the variable, which is the place of residence of the surveyed officers of the Prison Service, it turned out that it does not significantly differentiate their demand for professional development. Higher interest in personality and professional development was observed in the database living in the village. The highest average values were recorded in the scope of developing "competence in action", "positive interpersonal relations", as well as "moral competences" and "implementation competences" (table 4).
The seniority of the surveyed Prison Service officers does not differentiate the overall results in terms of personal characteristics and professional competences, however, a higher demand for professional development was observed in persons with seniority of up to 9 years (in the analyses presented as the division point of the studied group, the average seniority for the entire study population of the Prison Service officers was assumed). The analysis of individual components of professional competences revealed a statistically significant difference in rela- Source: author's own research tion to "competences in methodology" (p < 0.03), which allow defining goals, i.e. the desired direction of penitentiary measures and identifying with it. Higher intensity of the analysed variable was observed in officers with a shorter work experience, probably due to the fact that the respondents had less professional experience. Persons who work for up to 9 years in the Prison Service are also interested in the development of "adequate reality perception", "competence in action", "personal growth and development" as well as methodological and implementation competences (table 5). The conducted statistical analyses showed that the education of the studied Prison Service officers significantly statistically differentiates their demand for the development of personal features (p < 0.001). Officers with secondary education showed the highest interest in the development of personal characteristics and professional competences, while those with MA education were the least interested in development. In addition, both people with secondary, higher vocational and MA education see the need for development in the field of "positive attitude towards themselves" (p < 0.03), "autonomy" (p < 0.03), "competence in action" (p < 0.02), as well as "moral competences" (p < 0.01). Officers with secondary and higher vocational education are interested in the development of "competence in action", while people with MA education show the need for further "personal growth and development". When it comes to professional competences, people with secondary education are most interested in developing interpretative and moral competences, people with higher vocational education want to improve their communication, methodological and implementation competences, while those with MA education -methodological and implementation competences (table 6). The last aspect subjected to statistical analysis is the work position occupied by the surveyed Prison Service officers. The obtained results indicate that the surveyed guards show the highest interest in professional development, while the lowest -educators. The application of the Kruskal-Wallis test revealed the existence of a significant difference in the result of the general demand for the devel-opment of personal characteristics among the respondents (p < 0.018). The surveyed guards are most interested in developing "adequate perception of reality" (M = 7.85), "competence in action" (M = 7.90), as well as "interpretation skills" (M = 7.50), "moral" competences (M = 7.50) and "communication competences" (M = 7.40). As far as prison warders and educators are concerned, in terms of personal characteristics they need to develop "positive interpersonal relationships" and "personal growth and development", which is understood as the pursuit of self-fulfilment and setting long-term goals. In terms of professional competences, the surveyed educators want to improve "pedagogical postulates and implementation" competences, while the surveyed warders -"moral" and "methodological competences". Detailed results are presented in table 7.

DISCUSSION
When answering the questions formulated in this study, it can be seen that the obtained research results indicate that the surveyed officers of the Prison Service show quite high interest in professional development in the field of personal characteristics and professional competence. Similar demand for development is declared by educators from juvenile detention centres and juvenile shelters who participated in the research conducted by Gaś (2010, p. 21). They show the greatest interest in the development of interpersonal relations that are visible in the subjective treatment of other people, showing them positive emotions, respect and understanding. At the same time, they have the need to improve their methodological and implementation competences by deepening their knowledge and skills. What should be emphasised is that the surveyed officers are least interested in developing moral and communication competences, which constitute the basis for working with other people, especially in an institution such as a penitentiary institution or detention centre. In addition, the respondents show little interest in developing their own autonomy, which can be understood due to the fact of working in an institution that relies on the existence of official dependencies.
The variables determining the demand for professional development included education and the job position. The statistical analyses carried out showed that the lower the level of education, the higher the interest in development, as well as the security department employees have a higher demand for professional development than educators who are representatives of the penitentiary department. When preparing the training plan for officers subordinated to them, the heads of penitentiary units should put more emphasis on development of the guards and warders in the personal and professional fields, in particular regarding positive interpersonal relations, competence in action, moral, communication and implementation competences. This can contribute to a more efficient fulfilment of entrusted duties, and also reduce the risk of occupational burnout.
Of course, the obtained research results cannot be generalised and refer to all Prison Service officers, because they are of pilot research results, however, they indicate directions of further research investigations.
It also seems necessary to formulate precise requirements that should be imposed on candidates for work in the Prison Service. It is also necessary to consider the internal system of professional functioning assessment in the scope of the person's personal features and professional competences. When preparing the training offer for officers, it should be preceded by an internal demand diagnosis, which would allow the offer to be adapted to actual needs and expectations.

SUMMARY
Reaching for literature in the field of Prison Services, in particular penitentiary work, you can find scientific studies on shaping psychosocial competences necessary for the officers of the Prison Service in performing the tasks and duties entrusted to them, relating to the predispositions necessary for the candidates for work in penitentiary units and dealing with threats to which the Penitentiary Service officers are exposed (Łapiński, Markuszewski, 2014;Oppermann, Elwart-Szynaka, 2012;Machel, 2007;Lipnowski, 2010;Poklek, 2018). However, there are no studies that would recognise the needs of people working on the socalled "first line" with detained or imprisoned persons, assuming that in this way you can adapt the training offer that will meet the actual needs of the training's participants.
To initiate personal development, it is necessary to assess the existing competences and actions taken to develop them. It can be done in two ways, namely by the officers' superiors who will assess the work or by asking the interested parties themselves what was done in the presented research.
The area covered with the presented research is certainly important from the point of view of the effectiveness of conducted interactions and satisfaction with work that should be felt by prison officers of the Prison Service.