Date of Submission
5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice (Ph.D.)
Department
Criminal Justice
Advisor
Kevin Barnes-Ceeney, Ph.D.
Committee Member
David L. Myers, Ph.D.
LC Subject Headings
Correctional personnel, Suicide—Prevention, Suicidal behavior--Risk factors
Abstract
Correction officer suicide is an understudied, yet frightening problem. The culture of silence and machismo acts as a barrier to those struggling to cope with not only the demands of the job, but the distance and challenges it forces upon officers’ personal lives. The correctional field and its unique challenges are not understood by the public. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, this study sought to understand the prevalence of correction officer suicide by examining data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), which resulted in the analysis of suicides from 2018-2020 in the United States (N = 103,187). Of those, n = 270 correction officer suicides and n = 845 police officer suicides were examined. Further, through the analysis of law enforcement narratives of correction officer suicides, context to the victims’ state of mind as well as reasons for why they died by suicide were explored. The aims of the study are: 1) Identify the scope of the problem; 2) Understand the methods that can help in identifying those at high risk of suicide; 3) Identify the services available and offered; and 4) Explore and suggest policy strategies to address the problem and enhance staff wellness. Findings suggest that six key variables are associated with suicide risk among correction officers. These variables are intimate partner relationships, marital status, substance abuse, PTSD diagnosis, job, and financial problems. Amongst the studied populations, firearms were the most used method of suicide, with those who used a firearm being 62% more likely to be in the correction officer suicide group as compared with the general population suicide group. Correction officers died by suicide at a significantly younger age than those in the police group. When examining the qualitative data, the overarching finding through the grounded theory approach were six potential risk factors specific to correction officer suicide: 1) relationship issues, specifically those involving divorce and cheating, 2) those who are facing criminal legal problems, 3) medical issues, particularly chronic pain, 4) experiencing anxiety and/or depression, 5) using drugs or alcohol, and 6) having some other difficult life experience that is a stressor to the individual.
Recommended Citation
Greenberg, Kristi, "Those That Guard the Abyss: A Mixed-Methods Study of Corrections Culture and Correctional Staff Suicide" (2025). Doctoral Works at the University of New Haven. 64.
https://digitalcommons.newhaven.edu/dissertations/64