Prison officer self-legitimacy and support for offender rehabilitation in Ghana

Legitimacy refers to the moral recognition of power and the legitimacy of prisons and power relations within them remain a central topic for prison researchers. However the prison legitimacy literature tends to focus on the views of prisoners. Research on prison officer self-legitimacy - that is the belief by powerholders that the authority vested in them is morally right – remains scanty. Drawing on data from a survey of prison officers in Ghana this study investigated the examine the correlates of prison officer selflegitimacy and links between self-legitimacy and support for rehabilitation of offenders. Results of multivariate analyses show that relations with colleagues and treatment by supervisors were the key correlates of self-legitimacy. Self-legitimacy in turn was found to shape officers’ support for rehabilitation of offenders. Finally perceived supervisory fairness and positive relations with prisoners were associated with increased support for rehabilitation. The implications are discussed.