Body cameras behind bars: Exploring correctional officers’ feelings of safety with body-worn cameras

Abstract

Amid rising rates of prison violence, corrective service agencies worldwide are increasingly championing body-worn cameras as a tool with the potential of making the prison environment safer. Little is known, however, whether this technology makes correctional officers feel safer while carrying out their duties in an environment with higher rates of violence than most other occupations. Using survey data and interviews with correctional officers in Queensland, Australia, this study shows that for many correctional officers, body-worn cameras do not improve feelings of safety or have a civilizing effect on prisoner behavior. Most correctional officers do believe, however, that the presence of body-worn cameras reduces the threat of false allegations and thereby improves their “professional” safety. This study also considers whether officers’ perceptions of physical or professional safety vary by officer characteristics, body-worn camera usage, and prison type.

Can body-worn cameras reduce injuries during response-to-resistance events in a jail setting? Results from a randomized controlled trial

“…Despite their potential and their expanding use in the field, there have been no studies to date on the impact of BWCs on mitigating use-of-force incidents and subsequent injuries in correctional settings. Currently, the only academic research on BWCs in prison or jail settings has focused on the perceptions of and support for these devices among COs (Beales & Marsh, 2016;Dodd, Antrobus, & Sydes, 2020Peterson et al, 2023;Sydes, Dodd, & Antrobus, 2022). Yet we can ascertain the potential impact of cameras on critical correctional outcomes by examining research from the field of law enforcement.…”

Body-worn camera activation in prisons: understanding correctional officers’ decision-making and use of discretion

“…However, many officers in that study were also fearful of 'negative accountability', namely the perception that BWC footage could be used to discipline or reprimand them. Other research shows that while correctional officers did not perceive BWCs as increasing their physical safety or having a civilizing effect on prisoner behaviour, they did feel the presence of BWCs improved their 'professional' safety, by reducing the likelihood of prisoners making false complaints against them (Sydes et al 2020).…”

“…They can be used to gather evidence in the event of critical incidents, including riots, assaults on officers, use of force incidents, and contraband raids (Roberts 2020). The primary aim of introducing BWCs in prisons, then, is to make the prison environment safer for all parties (Polley and Smith 2020;Sydes et al 2020).…”

“…Dodd et al (2020) explored correctional officers' attitudes towards BWCs, finding widespread support for their use in prisons. There have been mixed findings, however, as to whether BWCs increase officer safety (both in terms of physical and professional safety) (Sydes et al 2020). Beales and Marsh's (2016) evaluation showed that BWCs can be an effective de-escalation tool and equipping correctional officers with cameras increased their actual and perceived physical safety.…”

The emotional challenges of working-life digitalisation

“…While body cameras worn by correctional officers have been found not to alleviate feelings of safety in wearers, they are thought to reduce false allegations(Sydes et al, 2020).Unauthenticated | Downloaded 02/20/23 12:13 PM UTC…”