Correctional staff play a major role in the incarceration experience for millions of U.S. adults each year. While much research has addressed misconduct perpetrated by incarcerated persons, less has systematically addressed rule-violating behavior by correctional staff and how such conduct is perceived by formerly incarcerated individuals. Using qualitative data gathered from 38 interviews with men and women recently released from prison, we examine their experiences with prison staff misconduct. Respondents shared observations of staff misconduct related to medical neglect, violence, and contraband, but experiences differed for men and women, raising concerns regarding conditions of confinement. We caution that such conduct has the potential to undermine the legitimacy of correctional authority in prison settings, which is troubling because heightened legitimacy is an important aspect of legal socialization that helps to reduce offending. Research and policy development on the frequency and consequences of prison staff misconduct is warranted.

惩教人员在每年数百万美国成年人的监禁经历中发挥着重要作用。虽然很多研究都解决了被监禁者的不当行为，但很少有系统地解决惩教人员的违规行为以及以前被监禁者如何看待这种行为。我们使用从 38 次采访最近从监狱中释放出来的男女中收集的定性数据，研究他们在监狱工作人员不当行为方面的经历。受访者分享了对与医疗疏忽、暴​​力和违禁品相关的员工不当行为的观察，但男性和女性的经历不同，引发了对监禁条件的担忧。我们告诫说，这种行为有可能破坏监狱环境中惩教当局的合法性，这是令人不安的，因为提高合法性是有助于减少犯罪的法律社会化的一个重要方面。有必要对监狱工作人员不当行为的频率和后果进行研究和制定政策。