Geographical analysis of the work environment of penal officers: a systematic review

Abstract

The article presents a review of the literature based on a survey of production on the work environment of criminal agents, focusing on the environmental and mental health aspects of these workers between the years 2018 and 2023. The databases researched were Virtual Health Library, Web of Science and Scopus and the main descriptors: "health", "mental health", "criminal police", "work environment", "environmental quality of work", "mental health of prison officers", "environment of work". 19 articles were analyzed, the majority on prison mental health and stress. Europe, especially Spain, Germany and England are the countries that publish the most on the topic. In Latin America, only studies were found in Brazil, Colombia and Argentina. The number of publications has gradually increased over the years and there has been methodological improvement in the development and assessment of stress. The research results led to findings about the main risk factors in the work environment, work overload, lack of environmental comfort, overcrowding, thermal stress, physical and mental exhaustion, among others. It is concluded that protective factors refer to social support within the prison environment and social policies aimed at the class of these workers.