The authors conducted a questionnaire survey of prison staffs and found that burnout scores (Japanese Burnout Scale: JBS) were generally higher for prison officers and education, investigation, and work specialists (n = 91) than for nurses, care workers, and teachers. Among environmental factors, job autonomy was found to determine all three burnout factors, as well as to reduce the intention to leave the job through emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment. Based on these results, we discussed the importance of focusing on the mental health of prison staff who support the Japanese penal institutions.
