One in Five Correctional Officers at Mental Health Risk
Overcrowding at 125.3% Intensifies Incidents in Prisons
An analysis of the mental health status of 5,632 correctional officers revealed that one in five falls into the mental health risk group. The overall occupancy rate of correctional facilities, which was 104% in 2022, increased to 125.3% in 2024. Due to overcrowding, correctional incidents such as assaults among inmates are also rapidly increasing. Correctional officers working in confined spaces are often subjected to verbal abuse, physical assault, or witness suicides and deaths from illness.
According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Justice on correctional officers from 54 correctional institutions from September to October last year, 19.6% of the participants belonged to the mental health risk group in at least one mental health factor. High scores were observed in sleep problems (8.61 points), burnout (7.98 points), and feelings of isolation (7.72 points). Among the mental health risk group, the proportions were as follows: alcohol addiction (7.6%), depression (6.3%), suicidal thoughts (5.9%), feelings of isolation (5.1%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (4.9%). In particular, the rate of suicide planning experience was about 2.7 times higher, and the rate of suicide attempts was about 1.6 times higher compared to the general adult population.
By age group, mental health issues were most prominent in those in their 40s. The 30s age group had the highest distribution rate in the mental health risk group, while the 50s age group showed a higher risk of post-traumatic stress disorder due to long years of service. Notably, "excessive workload and staff shortages due to overcrowding" emerged as the highest stress factor.
Regarding job stress factors, the highest response rates were for "excessive workload and staff shortages due to overcrowding (50.1%)," "an atmosphere prioritizing inmates' human rights (37.5%)," and "confined working environment (28.0%)." Shin Yong-hae, Director of the Correctional Headquarters, stated, "We will expand mental health recovery support so that correctional officers who must work closely with inmates 24 hours a day can maintain their pride in their work. At the same time, we will continue efforts to improve working conditions, such as increasing personnel, and to resolve overcrowding."
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