Prison staff: Barriers to reporting wrongdoing, an exploratory study

Prisons are a fertile environment for staff wrongdoing to thrive. The term wrongdoing includes a wide range of behaviours, from violations of the professional standards set by the prison service to criminal acts. All share the potential to undermine safety and security within the prison. In order to run safe and humane prisons, staff sometimes need to report the wrongdoing of their colleagues or, in some instances, report their own wrongdoing. However, the findings from a mixed-method study conducted at two male prisons in England and Wales revealed significant barriers to reporting wrongdoing. Although staff recognised the need to report wrongdoing, fear of being disciplined, fear of retaliation from other staff and a belief that nothing would be done meant it could be easier to ‘turn a blind eye’ than risk adverse consequences. These findings have the potential to guide policy and practice concerning the reporting of prison staff wrongdoing.