ABSTRACT
Most occupations share some common attributes by virtue of their knowledge base which are manifest through shared terminology, humour, sentiments, modes of dress, rituals, and norms of behaviour (Loftus, 2012). These attributes together with value sets, working practices, and rules guiding conduct (informally as well as formally) are often collectively referred to as the occupation’s culture. Derived from and developed by anthropologists, the ideas conveyed by culture were adopted by psychologists to investigate work organisations and their responsivity to change (Millward, 2005). As applied to the world of work within criminal justice, the concept is not without its definitional problems but has nevertheless proved useful in explaining a number of processes such as job satisfaction, morale, ethical conduct, working styles, and attitudes towards reform (Kingshott et al., 2004; Paoline, 2004; Stroshine et al., 2008; Crawley and Crawley, 2008; Nalla et al., 2010; Elliot and Daley, 2013; Dollard et al., 2013). Culture has particularly been utilised to look at both causes of stress and coping adaptations (Chan, 1997; Brown, 2004).
