While the primary goal of the officer is well defined as maintaining security and safety, the means of accomplishing the prime directive are usually less clear. The task of managing inmates often involves the interpretation and application of existing rules and regulations as well as a set of unwritten rules. These informal rules are passed on to officers in a socialization process. In many prisons there are often employee factions that support very different sets of informal rules about officer behavior. Prison overcrowding can create an atmosphere where violence is likely to occur.
Inmates fight with each other, victimize each other, and attack staff.
Groups of inmates sometimes create disruptions or riots in a particular area of a prison. When these violent events occur, they increase feelings of lack of control and helplessness among employees. Lack of control over danger in one's environment is a significant environmental stressor. Two studies have been found that examine the effect of a dangerous prison environment on the stress that correctional officers experience. Only role problems had a stronger association with work stress.