A joint having a male joint member and female joint member with enhanced ease of assembly, in which a raised stop on the male joint member is limited to displacement between a constriction on the female joint member and a locking ring segment, in which the locking ring segment and constriction are separated by an unobstructed traverse region that allows the male joint member to slide axially when under stress without separation from the female joint member, and in which a compressible spacer is installed between the male joint member and female joint member to ensure that the raised stop is installed in an intermediate position between the constriction and the locking ring segment. The compressible spacer withstands forces associated with assembly but allows the joint to compress during extreme events to prevent failure of the joint during extreme events, such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides.