Burning out in probation: An exploration of organizational, operational, and personal stressors amongst probation workers in England and Wales

Criminal justice work is highly stressful, with research showing that people working in the police, prison, and probation services are vulnerable to high levels of job-stress and burnout. In this chapter, we will present data on the extent and key correlates of burnout amongst a sample of probation workers and managers (n=1727) in England and Wales. Our analysis focuses on the groups of people who present with higher levels of burnout to understand how organizational, individual, and operational stressors affect levels of burnout. Using a series of bivariate and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests, we explore correlations between variables such as gender, age, race/ethnicity, qualification, length of service, caseload, and burnout as measured through emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. We find organizational and operational stressors have stronger correlations with burnout than individual stressors. Through consideration of the reasons for this and the implications our data raises for practitioners and organizations, in this chapter, we make an intervention in the field of community correctional services as well as, more broadly, the field of occupational stress in criminal justice and beyond.