Psychological Stability of Armed Employees on Duty according to the Term of Service in the Penal-Executive System

Introduction. The problem of psychological stability of officers carrying weapon while on duty is relevant for the penal-executive system, since it is not always possible to anticipate and prevent critical situations arising in special circumstances of penal-executive proceedings: constant readiness to act in an extreme situation (hostage-taking, escape, riots, disobedience, etc.), a high level of danger to human life and health (the likelihood of using weapons for killing), which imposes serious responsibility on the officer of the security units for his actions. Lack of psychological readiness to use weapons, the principle of strict unity of command and subordination in the staff of correctional institutions, overtime work schedule and other factors contribute to the accumulation of psychological tension, increase the level of neuropsychic stress and affect the general condition of the employee. In this regard, employees carrying firearms on duty require psychological diagnosing and support. The objective is to study the peculiarities of psychological stability of officers with different terms of service in the penitentiary system carrying weapon while on duty under conditions of the correctional facilities. Маterials and Methods. The following methods were employed: review and analytical method, that is theoretical analysis of scientific resources on the problems of the study, empirical method including psychodiagnostical method “Neuropsychic Stability — Forecast” (by Yu. A. Kirovskaya), as well as non-parametric statistical criterion for comparing two independent samples (Mann-Whitney U-test). The survey covered fifty employees of the federal budgetary institution “Arkhangelsk correctional colony” of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service in Arkhangelsk region with different terms of service in the penitentiary system. Results and Discussion. The employees with term of service from five to ten years in the penitentiary system reveal higher level of the neuropsychic stability and lower risks of maladaptation in stress, lower levels in professional stress. According to the calculated data the armed employees on duty with term of service from five to ten years are distinguished from those with five years of service by the increased level of intensiveness of such symptoms as “affection”, “communication” and “exhibitionism”. Based on the experimental research the differences in characteristics of intrapersonal resources providing mental stability of employees with different terms of service who use weapon in their activity proved to be statistically significant. Conclusions. Neuropsychic stability is both a personality trait and a mental state that ensures appropriate human behavior in complex, non-standard situations. Employees with the term of service up to five years differ from employees with a term of service from five to ten years with regard to mental stability and the risk of manifestations of destruction and destructive behavior in stressful situations. The former have a higher level of neuropsychic stability and a lower risk of maladaptation under stress. The latter indicate a tendency to certain disorders of mental activity, destructive behavior and a specific perception of the environment in extreme conditions.