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Nylander, Per Åke, DocentORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0001-9999-0574
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Publications (10 of 36) Show all publications
Bruhn, A. & Nylander, P. Å. (2024). Farewell to Exceptionalism: An Analysis of Swedish Prisons Officers' Attitudes Towards Prison Policy, Organisation, and Their Occupational Rolen in 2009 and 2019. In: Helen Arnold; Matthew Maycock; Rosemary Ricciardelli (Ed.), Prison Officers: International Perspectives on Prison Work (pp. 325-348). Cambridge: Palgrave Macmillan
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Farewell to Exceptionalism: An Analysis of Swedish Prisons Officers' Attitudes Towards Prison Policy, Organisation, and Their Occupational Rolen in 2009 and 2019
2024 (English)In: Prison Officers: International Perspectives on Prison Work / [ed] Helen Arnold; Matthew Maycock; Rosemary Ricciardelli, Cambridge: Palgrave Macmillan, 2024, p. 325-348Chapter in book (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

In this chapter, we discuss changes in how Swedish prison officers experience their working conditions based on the results of a nationwide survey that was carried out on two occasions. 2009 and 2019. During the time that has elapsed between the first and second survey, a lot has happened in Sweden that has impacted on Swedish policy relatiing to crime and punishment, and also the working conditions experienced by prison officers. Growing violence and criminality in society has led to a continious ongoing competition between different political parties and camps towards tougher measures against crime. In prolongations of this "punitive turn", prison officers work tasks has increasingly changed in the direction of monitoring and security work at the expense of rehabilitative and motivational efforts. The result of our comparison between two populations of prison officers points to a substantially changed prison climate. At the same time, the organisational culture has become more homogeneous, but this has happened at the expense of a degradation of the occupational role of prison officers towards pure guardin and security work. Prisoin officer turnover is currently high in Sweden. People with aspirations to work with motivational and rehabilitative measures no longer seem to seek careers within the prison system, and those with long work experience do not expect development towards such work tasks at this point either.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Cambridge: Palgrave Macmillan, 2024
Series
Palgrave Studies in Prison and Penology, ISSN 2753-0604, E-ISSN 2753-0612
Keywords
Prison officer, Sweden, perception, management, job satisfaction
National Category
Social Work
Research subject
Social Work; Criminology; Sociology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-110408 (URN)10.1007/978-3-031-41061-1_13 (DOI)9783031410604 (ISBN)9783031410611 (ISBN)9783031410635 (ISBN)
Available from: 2023-12-18 Created: 2023-12-18 Last updated: 2024-01-12Bibliographically approved
Zhao, X., Nylander, P. Å. & Bruhn, A. (2024). Swedish prison officers’ perceptions of management and support: key predictors and subgroups. Psychology, Crime and Law, 30(10), 1277-1291
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Swedish prison officers’ perceptions of management and support: key predictors and subgroups
2024 (English)In: Psychology, Crime and Law, ISSN 1068-316X, E-ISSN 1477-2744, Vol. 30, no 10, p. 1277-1291Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

With increasing numbers of prisoners, research on Swedish prison officers’ perceptions of management and support at work is warranted. Previous studies have mainly used a variable-centered approach, identifying several individual and organizational factors that influence prison staff's evaluation of their job. The present study adopted a person-centered approach, exploring the heterogeneity in a Swedish national sample of prison officers. Based on an extensive survey of the quality of prison job, 10 key predictors for overall prison regime evaluation were identified. Following latent class analysis, three distinct subgroups were discerned from the entire sample. Remarkably, a sizable subgroup with a relatively negative evaluation of the prison regime was observed. While most background covariates did not associate with the subgroup membership, prison officers who experienced violent or threatening incidents tended to report a negative evaluation of the prison regime. Intra-organizational social support, communication and loyalty are highlighted as key components of overall regime evaluation. Our findings suggest that enhancing collegial, management, and supervision support and communicative skills may increase prison officers’ job satisfaction. Beyond the organizational level of prisons, we also discussed the challenges that the Swedish prison system faces, along with the portrayal by social media of a violence-dominated environment.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis, 2024
Keywords
Prison officer, Sweden, perception, management, job satisfaction
National Category
Law and Society Applied Psychology
Research subject
Criminology; Law; Psychology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-104642 (URN)10.1080/1068316x.2023.2181962 (DOI)000942245500001 ()2-s2.0-85149411468 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2023-03-02 Created: 2023-03-02 Last updated: 2025-01-22Bibliographically approved
Nylander, P. Å. & Bruhn, A. (2023). Emotionellt arbete och belastning i fängelsearbete: utvecklingen över tid. Arbetsmarknad & Arbetsliv, 29(3-4), 27-41
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Emotionellt arbete och belastning i fängelsearbete: utvecklingen över tid
2023 (Swedish)In: Arbetsmarknad & Arbetsliv, ISSN 1400-9692, E-ISSN 2002-343X, Vol. 29, no 3-4, p. 27-41Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [sv]

Kriminalvårdare är ett komplext yrke som dagligen hanterar intagna i fängelser, vilket innefattar att bemöta olika känslouttryck. Denna artikel handlar om hur detta emotionella arbete förändrats över tid. Den baseras på en jämförelse av data från två forskningsprojekt (2009 och 2019). Resultatet visar att kriminalvårdare upplever att det emotionella arbetet blivit mer påtagligt, och att den belastning och trötthet som följer av detta blivit större. Samtidigt upplever många små möjligheter till återhämtning från detta under arbetstiden.

Utvecklingen kan ses i ljuset av den ökade beläggningen men kan också kopplas till ideologiska och organisatoriska förändringar inom den svenska kriminalvården.

Abstract [en]

Prison officers is a complex occupation that deals with inmates at prisons daily, which includes encountering different emotional expressions. In this article we discuss how this emotional labour has changed over time. This is done by comparing data from two research projects (2009 and 2019). The results of such a comparison shows that prison officers feel that the emotional labour has become more tangible, and that the burden and fatigue that follows from this has become greater. At the same time, many prison officers experience few opportunities to recover from this type of strain during working hours. The development can be seen in the light of increased prison overcrowding but may also be linked to ideological and organizational changes within the Swedish Prison and Probation Services.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Karlstad: Arbetsvetenskap vid Karlstads universitet, 2023
Keywords
prison officer, prisons, emotional labour, emotional strain, kriminalvårdare, fängelser, emotionellt arbete, emotionell belastning
National Category
Social Work
Research subject
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-109866 (URN)10.58236/aa.25111 (DOI)
Available from: 2023-11-23 Created: 2023-11-23 Last updated: 2024-02-06Bibliographically approved
Nylander, P. Å., Lindberg, O. & Holm, C. (2020). Prisoners’ Experiences of Prison Drug Treatment: what matters?. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 17(1), 6-18
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Prisoners’ Experiences of Prison Drug Treatment: what matters?
2020 (English)In: International Journal of Prisoner Health, ISSN 1744-9200, E-ISSN 1744-9219, Vol. 17, no 1, p. 6-18Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Purpose: This study aims to analyze prisoners’ experiences of prison drug-treatment programs in Sweden. How do they describe their personal relationships with the prison staff and with other prisoners in the wings? How do they describe the social climate and the control in drug-treatment wings? How could differences between these wings be understood?

Design/methodology/approach: The data consist of observations and face-to-face interviews with male and female prisoners in three Swedish prison drug-treatment wings. Analytical concepts used are roles, relationships and rituals.

Findings: The prisoners’ relationships with prison officers seemed connected to what kinds of rituals the prisoners and staff engaged in. In all three treatment wings, the staff and prisoners were involved in natural rituals. This was most frequent in the women’s prison with a 12-step program. The prisoners were frustrated with control measures but were mainly positive to the measures as preventing drugs from coming into the wing.

Research limitations/implications: Only three prison wings, however in varying prisons, have been studied.

Originality/value: These results gives a useful prisoners’ perspective on the development of drug-prevention and treatment in different kinds of prisons.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2020
Keywords
Prisoner, Drug treatment, Staff, Roles, Relationships, Rituals, Prison staff
National Category
Social Work
Research subject
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-84987 (URN)10.1108/IJPH-08-2019-0039 (DOI)000561445900001 ()33634652 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85089376747 (Scopus ID)
Note

Funding Agency:

Joint Committee for Nordic Research Councils for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NOS-HS)

Available from: 2020-08-20 Created: 2020-08-20 Last updated: 2021-03-01Bibliographically approved
Nylander, P. Å. & Bruhn, A. (2020). The Emotional Labour of Prison Work. In: Phillips, J., Waters, J., Westaby, C. and Fowler, A. (Ed.), Emotional Labour in Criminal Justice and Criminology: (pp. 69-84). London: Routledge
Open this publication in new window or tab >>The Emotional Labour of Prison Work
2020 (English)In: Emotional Labour in Criminal Justice and Criminology / [ed] Phillips, J., Waters, J., Westaby, C. and Fowler, A., London: Routledge, 2020, p. 69-84Chapter in book (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

The emotional life in prisons has been described in popular literature in terms of horror and suffering, but the research literature on this topic is sparse and mostly produced in later decades. During this short time, emotion research concerning prisons has focussed on a prison reality under constant change and development. The development of prisons, which is influenced by increased security, technical monitoring, and risk governance but also by centralization, specialization, and efficiency demands, has deeply affected prison work. Not the least of these concerns is the emotional labour performed by the largest group of staff, the prison officers. How this labour is performed in each prison wing or unit is closely connected to the institutional framework, the subculture, and the relationships between officers and prisoners. The aim of this chapter is to describe and discuss the emotional labour of prison staff under today’s prevailing conditions of prison life and ongoing changes to prison systems. This is done with reference to research findings from several countries as well as data from our own Swedish research projects. Research and data on prison officer work will be analysed in the light of prison policy changes and organisational theory on the development of public organisations and by using the work of Hochschild and other social theorists.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
London: Routledge, 2020
National Category
Social Work
Research subject
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-84988 (URN)9780367152017 (ISBN)
Available from: 2020-08-20 Created: 2020-08-20 Last updated: 2020-08-21Bibliographically approved
Källström, Å., Hellfeldt, K. & Nylander, P. Å. (2019). Parental imprisonment, child victimization and adult problems. European Journal of Criminology, 16(6), 671-688
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Parental imprisonment, child victimization and adult problems
2019 (English)In: European Journal of Criminology, ISSN 1477-3708, E-ISSN 1741-2609, Vol. 16, no 6, p. 671-688Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This study addresses, in a Swedish sample, whether exposure to violence and/or crime during childhood, and mental health and/or behaviour problems as an adult, are overrepresented among young men and women who had a parent in prison at some time when they were a child. Results show that almost all the studied types of childhood victimization and adult problems were overrepresented, but verbal victimization, neglect, witnessing violence, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and depression were significantly overrepresented. Although the associations between having a parent in prison and childhood victimization as well as having mental health and behaviour problems are weak, these results indicate that it is important for practitioners who meet such children to be aware that they are more likely than other children not only to suffer from mental health and/or behaviour problems but also to have experienced violence and/or neglect.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2019
Keywords
Prison, child, victimization, problems, parental imprisonment
National Category
Social Work
Research subject
Social Work; Criminology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-67110 (URN)10.1177/1477370818775286 (DOI)000485948300003 ()2-s2.0-85047795379 (Scopus ID)
Funder
Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare
Note

Funding Agency:

Trust of Clas Groschinsky's Memorial Fund (Stiftelsen Claes Groschinskys minnesfond)

Available from: 2018-05-29 Created: 2018-05-29 Last updated: 2023-12-08Bibliographically approved
Nylander, P. Å., Källström, Å. & Hellfeldt, K. (2018). After a childhood with a parent in prison: Relationships and well-being as a child and young adult. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 14(1), 34-45
Open this publication in new window or tab >>After a childhood with a parent in prison: Relationships and well-being as a child and young adult
2018 (English)In: International Journal of Prisoner Health, ISSN 1744-9200, E-ISSN 1744-9219, Vol. 14, no 1, p. 34-45Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore whether young adults who had a parent in prison while growing up in Sweden are disadvantaged in terms of parental support, school well-being and functioning, and socioemotional and/or behavioral problems, compared to young adults whose parents were not in prison when they were a child.

Design/methodology/approach: Retrospective self-report information about parental imprisonment and childhood and adulthood welfare was collected from 2,500 Swedish young adults as part of the RESUME project. The 52 of these who had had a parent in prison during their childhood were compared to the young adults who had not had a parent in prison, by measuring differences concerning their family relations, school well-being, and well-being as adults, and the risk of some events occurring later in life.

Findings: Findings Having had a parent in prison was significantly related to feeling less loved during childhood, and having less contact and support from both parents during adulthood, in comparison with other young adults. In school they experienced lower well-being and were more often placed in special education than other children. They were at greater risk of not attending higher education, of planning or attempting suicide, and of being hospitalized for mental health problems than the rest of the young adults.

Research limitations/implications: Even taking into consideration the complexity of childhood conditions and the limitations of retrospective data, prison and social-services professionals should pay special attention to the fact that a child has a parent in prison.

Originality/value: This is a unique study of young adults' experiences of a childhood with parent in prison.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2018
Keywords
Young adults; Prison; Relationships; Well-being; Children; Parent
National Category
Social Work
Research subject
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-64684 (URN)10.1108/IJPH-12-2016-0074 (DOI)000426531800005 ()29480768 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85042700733 (Scopus ID)
Available from: 2018-01-30 Created: 2018-01-30 Last updated: 2022-01-10Bibliographically approved
Nylander, P. Å., Hellfeldt, K. & Källström, Å. (2018). Att ha haft en förälder i fängelse under uppväxten - har det betydelse senare i livet?. Tidskrift för kriminalvård, 73(2), 9-11
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Att ha haft en förälder i fängelse under uppväxten - har det betydelse senare i livet?
2018 (Swedish)In: Tidskrift för kriminalvård, ISSN 0040-6821, Vol. 73, no 2, p. 9-11Article in journal (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.)) Published
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Svenska Fångvårdssällskapet, 2018
Keywords
förälder, fängelse
National Category
Other Social Sciences Social Work
Research subject
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-72798 (URN)
Available from: 2019-02-25 Created: 2019-02-25 Last updated: 2024-04-23Bibliographically approved
Hellfeldt, K., Källström, Å. & Nylander, P. Å. (2018). Efter en barndom med en förälder i fängelse: Hälsa, utsatthet och sociala relationer. In: Annelie Björkhagen Turesson & Annika Staaf (Ed.), Kriminalvården: Innanför och utanför (pp. 177-188). Lund: Studentlitteratur AB
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Efter en barndom med en förälder i fängelse: Hälsa, utsatthet och sociala relationer
2018 (Swedish)In: Kriminalvården: Innanför och utanför / [ed] Annelie Björkhagen Turesson & Annika Staaf, Lund: Studentlitteratur AB, 2018, p. 177-188Chapter in book (Refereed)
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Lund: Studentlitteratur AB, 2018
National Category
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-71975 (URN)9789144125787 (ISBN)
Available from: 2019-01-31 Created: 2019-01-31 Last updated: 2022-02-09Bibliographically approved
Nylander, P. Å. & Holm, C. (2018). Kontaktmannaskap, säkerhet och behandling i svenska fängelser - vilka professionella relationer är möjliga?. In: Bruhn, Anders & Källström, Åsa (Ed.), Relationer i socialt arbete: I gränslandet mellan profession och person (pp. 202-217). Stockholm: Liber
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Kontaktmannaskap, säkerhet och behandling i svenska fängelser - vilka professionella relationer är möjliga?
2018 (Swedish)In: Relationer i socialt arbete: I gränslandet mellan profession och person / [ed] Bruhn, Anders & Källström, Åsa, Stockholm: Liber, 2018, p. 202-217Chapter in book (Refereed)
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Liber, 2018
Keywords
Fängelse, relationer
National Category
Social Work
Research subject
Social Work
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-65772 (URN)978-91-47-11311-8 (ISBN)
Available from: 2018-03-14 Created: 2018-03-14 Last updated: 2022-02-09Bibliographically approved
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ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0001-9999-0574

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