Surveys were sent to 487 wardens of State prisons with populations of more than 500 inmates, 157 superintendents of State juvenile institutions with populations of more than 50 youths, 25 chief executives of selected jails, and 25 wardens of privately run prisons. Of the 694 surveys mailed, 377 were returned. The survey asked wardens about turnover rates among their facility managers, supervisors, and correctional officers. Most respondents viewed turnover among correctional officers as somewhere between "is becoming more of a problem lately" and "continues to be a problem." Correctional managers who assumed turnover to mean an employee's willful termination gave a variety of reasons for turnover. The reasons were divided into five categories: low pay, better outside opportunities, unhappiness with geographic area, the nature of the job, and the nature of the employee. Managers generally had two distinct perspectives as to why employees leave particular jobs. One group believed that the problem was with the employee and not with the job. The second group acknowledged the problems of the job and the job's potential to discourage employees. The remote geographic locations of many facilities was also perceived by respondents as a significant reason for job dissatisfaction. 6 references