Better Safe than Sorry? An Exploration of Criminal Justice Social Workers’ Working Conditions and Users’ Needs During COVID-19 in Norway

Social workers are an integrated part of the criminal justice system. In this field, criminal justice social workers (CJSWs) face challenges related to structure and professional autonomy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, correctional services (CS) implemented strict infection control measures through early releases, lockdowns in prisons with isolation, and the cessation of visits. This research explores how CJSWs experienced working during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on perceived influence on their working conditions, changes in users’ needs, and adaptation to new demands related to infection control. This is a mixed-methods study of a small sample of social workers in Norway’s criminal justice sector ( N = 75). Findings indicated that they experienced a negative impact of COVID-19 on their contact with colleagues and their target group, as well as on their ability to provide services to the latter. In addition, there is an indication of a heavier workload for CJSWs during COVID-19. Our results are analysed using the job demand–resource model (JD-R). The results suggest that infection control measures created additional demands and strain on CJSWs in caring for vulnerable and at-risk groups, while at the same time reducing contact with their own colleagues and supervisors, experiencing what we address as a ‘double negative’.