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Spatial features of a penitentiary unit in the context of stress experienced by Prison Service staff

Prison as the place of work of the Prison Service staff is a specific workplace due to both the nature of the prison community as well as the infrastructural and architectural solutions deployed to protect prison officers. Considering the spatial features of a penitentiary unit and their role in the due performance of Prison Service tasks, it seems quite relevant to seek an answer to the question: How does the physical space of a prison contribute to the stress experienced by prison officers? The issue in question is rooted in M. Mendel’s concept of pedagogy of place, symbolic interactionism and S. Hobfoll’s conservation of resources theory. Inquiry into a research problem of this kind seems reasonable taking into account the infrastructural and spatial aspects of the surroundings that can be potential stress drivers. In April 2021, a group of 58 prison officers were surveyed based on the Stress Perception Questionnaire and the author’s questionnaire. Relationships between the variables have been established through the use of correlation, significant difference test and variance analysis. The results revealed that the essential spatial characteristics of a penitentiary unit associated with the perception of stress by Prison Service staff are those features that relate to the penitentiary unit’s functional aspects covering the specific technical and protective safeguards. These results formed a premise for designating higher-risk staff groups, with regard to which preventive programmes aimed at counteracting the negative effects of stress experience should be considered

