The interviewer is assessing your perception of what a high-stress working environment looks like. They're curious about how well your perception aligns with the reality of the job. Interviewing, hiring, and training are expensive, and the time invested in hiring someone will relieve the pressures on those covering for the staff shortage. Hiring an individual who wasn't suited for the role could result in quick turnover, further burdening the rest of the team, and causing further issues for the work environment. In assessing your perception of what the job looks like, they'll hopefully be able to evaluate how well-suited you are for the role.

If you've worked for the department of corrections before, or in a similar role, spend time before the interview planning a professional and impartial answer based on your working experience. Exhibit your ability to step outside of your comfort zone and your ability to stay grounded while working under pressure. If you don't have relevant work experience, put in the time to research what the job looks like in a way that applies to the question. Then take your example of working in a high-stress environment and examine how you can correlate the two in a translatable way.

The aim here is not only to relay your relevant experience to the position you are competing for but also to exhibit your ability to remain cool and collected under pressure. Exhibiting a clear comprehension of what the job environment looks like while displaying a clear handle on governing your stress levels with emotional maturity is the goal here.