Occupational burnout amongst youth justice officers in England

Abstract

The evolution of youth justice in England and Wales and its more recent developments present unique challenges for youth justice officers. However, little is known about the experiences of occupational burnout amongst youth justice officers in the UK. The present study aims to fill this gap in the literature using individual, semi-structured interviews with 35 youth justice officers working in the youth justice service located in a geographical region of England. The findings reflect the three dimensions of occupational burnout in terms of emotional exhaustion (feeling emotionally drained and fatigued from work); depersonalization (treating others in an impersonal manner); sense of reduced accomplishment (feeling ineffective in the workplace). Participants discussed how burnout affected their relationship with children who come into contact with the system and their colleagues, as well as the strategies they used to manage burnout. To this end, some participants reported contemplating leaving the service for a new occupation, which would have implications for staff turnover. It will be concluded that burnout has significant costs to staff, children, YJS and society at large.