Under senare år har säkerhetsfrågorna prioriterats kraftigt vid svenska fängelser. Men vad innebär denna skärpning av säkerhetsrutiner för verksamheten vid anstalterna? Och, vad innebär den för den yrkeskår som praktiskt ska genomföra svensk kriminalvård, dvs. vårdarna? I denna artikel fokuserar vi på hur kriminalvårdare tänker, känner och handlar i arbetet, hur deras yrkeskultur och yrkespraktik gestaltar sig, formas och utvecklas under dagens arbetsvillkor.

The article is based on a study of Swedish prison officers. We analyse two types of professional representations, that is, their collectively evolved knowledge. A point of departure is the existence of sub-cultural gaps between different groups of officers. Society’s contradictory aims with the prison system lead to a permanent dilemma in prison work between security and rehabilitation. This dilemma becomes evident in the professional representations studied. However, there are also some differences in relation to different sub-cultural belongings. In our analysis of how prison officers deal with the dilemma in everyday practice we develop three ideal types - the frustrated, the rigid and the flexible one.

This article explores emotional labour strategies among Swedish prison officers, and shows how these affect their well-being. Case studies of five Swedish prisons and a national survey of prison officers are used. Analysis indicates that prison officers perform complex forms of emotional labour. Owing to differences in subcultures and informal norms, the strategies officers use in managing their displays of emotion vary between wings and roles. Different strategies may cause different kinds of emotional strain. So-called ‘surface acting’ may lead to cynicism and alienation, whereas ‘deep acting’ may lead to stress and exhaustion. Finally, the lack of opportunities for recovery is discussed.