From Custody to Support: Exploring the Psychosocial Potentials of Female Correctional Officers in Turkey

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Çetintaş E., Gökçearslan E.

WOMEN AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE, cilt.1010800897445420252600314, ss.1-37, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 1010800897445420252600314
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/08974454.2025.2600314
  • Dergi Adı: WOMEN AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), IBZ Online, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Gender Studies Database, Public Affairs Index, Social Sciences Abstracts
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-37
  • Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
  • Erzincan Binali Yıldırım Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This qualitative study examines the complex, contradictory, and multidimensional roles of female correctional officers (COs) in Turkish prisons through reflexive thematic analysis. Based on interviews with 40 female COs across 26 prisons, the findings show that officers often provide prison residents with informal psychosocial support to compensate for institutional gaps. However, the absence of clear role definitions, adequate training, and organizational support positions them as unprepared “de facto crisis managers” in cases of suicide attempts, self-harm, or withdrawal crises. The results highlight a persistent role conflict between care and control, shaped by gendered expectations, prison culture, and structural deficiencies