Social Climate in Celje Juvenile and Adult Prison

Povzetek

Measuring social climate provides an insight into the social situation and group dynamics in an organisation. It displays the current state, the satisfaction of people with the organization, and contributes to the identification of potential problems and relationships. Furthermore, studying the climate in prisons is especially important, as it is a risky environment where the dynamics of relationships change rapidly. By managing social aspects in prison, it is possible, among other things, to contribute to greater security and reduce potential risks. The purpose of the paper is to analyse and present the social climate of the Celje Juvenile and Adult Prison. In the article, the previous research work in the field of social climate in prisons is presented, followed by the results of the research on the social climate at the Celje Juvenile and Adult Prisons. The research was carried out in 2018, where 46% of all prison staff and 55% of all prisoners completed the questionnaire. The results indicate that the overall prison climate is relatively positive and that both prisoners and prison staff, feel safe, despite certain incidents. The prison staff is most satisfied with the permanence of their employment, and least satisfied with the salary, while the prisoners are most satisfied with the care provided and work possibilities, while they are least satisfied with the accommodations and treatment by prison officers. Based on the results, we conclude that the social climate could improve primarily by addressing the interpersonal relations and the regulation of the working conditions of prison staff. It would be advisable to also strengthen the prisoners' perceived procedural justice of prison officers. The article presents a contribution to the current studies of the social climate in the Slovene prison system, and while the findings are useful not only to the leadership of the institution and those employed in the penological profession, but also to researchers in the field of penology and criminology.