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

Journal article


Sydes, Michelle, Dodd, Shannon and Antrobus, Emma. (2022). Body cameras behind bars : Exploring correctional officers’ feelings of safety with body-worn cameras. Criminology and Criminal Justice. 22(2), pp. 323-342. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895820959125
AuthorsSydes, Michelle, Dodd, Shannon and Antrobus, Emma
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.

Keywordsbody-worn cameras; corrections; false allegations; prison violence; safety
Year2022
JournalCriminology and Criminal Justice
Journal citation22 (2), pp. 323-342
PublisherSAGE Publications
ISSN1748-8958
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895820959125
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85091373407
Page range323-342
FunderQueensland Corrective Services
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online22 Sep 2020
Publication process dates
Deposited16 May 2023
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https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8z050/body-cameras-behind-bars-exploring-correctional-officers-feelings-of-safety-with-body-worn-cameras

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