The challenging overlapping roles for juvenile detention officers as parents

Many professionals are parents. In the correctional industry, DJOs have to deal face-to­ face with lived experiences of juveniles just as they encounter face-to-face lived experiences at home with their children. These realities contribute to the spillover experiences that lead to positive and negative effects on DJOs. The effects are tangible and intangible rewards from the lenses of DJOs. As these overlaps take place in the workplace and the homes of DJOs, overarching roles and themes begin to emerge. Being able to identify the motivational factors behind the overarching roles and themes is important to being a DJO and a parent. This qualitative research study explored the lived experiences of DJOs in the home and work based on the research question, "What are the lived experiences of detention juvenile officers regarding their conflicting roles as DJOs and parents?" The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify details about the lived experiences of DJOs who are parents concerning overlapping roles between work and home. The phenomenological methodology used identified the common occurrences of the lived experiences of being a DJO and a parent. Interviews of ten DJOs currently working at detention facilities volunteered to identify overarching roles between their profession and their role as a parent. The personal experience of the researcher as a DJO added credibility to the study.