A comparative study of the selection of bases of power by correctional officers in male and female institutions

Abstract

This is a comparative study of the selection of bases of power by correctional officers in male and female institutions. This study assesses if the gender of the inmate influences the selection of power bases that correctional officers use to gain compliance from them. Subjects were fifty-five correctional officers from Trumbull Correctional Institution and fifty-nine correctional officers from the Ohio Reformatory for Women. A self-administered questionnaire was developed to measure power base selections. No significant differences were found between the two samples with regard to the selection of bases of power based on the gender of the inmate. Additional findings found a significant correlation between female correctional officers and their selections of power bases. A comparison of findings to another study that was done to assess the selection of power bases is difficult to measure because of the differences in the structures of the response categories used to measure power base selections.