This master thesis focuses on exploring the differences between practitioners and
judicial police officers in prison when dealing with self-aggressive behaviour of
incarcerated individuals. The thesis aims to shed light on how prison practitioners
understand and experience incidents of auto-aggressive behaviour in prison, and how
their experiences and knowledge are reflected in the treatment of individuals at risk of
auto-aggression. I try to give a voice to prison staff who work in an environment full of
stressful, emotional and psychological challenges on a daily basis. To this end, I also
draw attention to the forms of assistance and support that already exist for staff working
with auto-aggressive behaviour.
In the theoretical part of the thesis, I first focus on basic information about auto-aggressive behaviour; and then on understanding it in the context of total institutions,
such as prison, which represent a specific environmental and social context for the
treatment of prisoners. In doing so, I explore the role of prison workers, their tasks,
responsibilities and emotional challenges when working with people who self-harm. I
also devote a special chapter to different ways of coping with and processing stressful
situations in the workplace.
The empirical part of the thesis is based on qualitative research in which I conducted
interviews with five judicial police officers and three female professionals with direct
experience of self-aggressive behaviour in the Maribor Penitentiary Institution.
Through a semi-structured interview, I explored their experiences, understanding,
experiencing and reacting to the phenomenon under study. Data analysis was carried
out using the method of content analysis, taking into account different dimensions such
as emotional involvement, expertise and personal views of the interviewees.
The results of the research show significant differences in the approaches of individual
prison officers in terms of their professional competence, personal experience and
emotional distance towards prisoners. Some workers highlight the need for more
support and training in the management of auto-aggression. The survey thus highlights
the complexity of prison workers' work, their challenges and their needs for additional
training and support in dealing with auto-aggressive behaviour in prison.
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