Cameras in Corrections: Exploring the Views of Correctional Officers on the Introduction of Body-Worn Cameras in Prisons

• Author: Michelle Sydes,Emma Antrobus,Shannon Dodd
• Date: 01 September 2020
• Published date: 01 September 2020
• DOI: 10.1177/0093854820942288
• Subject Matter: Articles

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND BEHAVIOR, 2020, Vol. 47, No. 9, September 2020, 1190 –1208.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854820942288

Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions

© 2020 International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology

1190

CAMERAS IN CORRECTIONS

Exploring the Views of Correctional Officers on the

Introduction of Body-Worn Cameras in Prisons

SHANNON DODD

EMMA ANTROBUS

MICHELLE SYDES

The University of Queensland

In this article, we present the findings of a mixed-methods study of correctional officers’ views on the introduction of body-

worn cameras (BWCs) within prisons. Using a statewide survey and in-depth interviews with correctional officers in

Queensland, Australia, this study explored officer support for BWCs and the relationship between officer support and several

key variables. We found widespread support for the use of BWCs among correctional officers. Female officers and those who

held more positive views about the perceived functionality of BWCs and the implementation and training process were most

supportive. However, the introduction of BWCs also raises some important considerations for prison management that may

impact officer support, including whether to allow officers to access BWC footage for report writing or officer training.

Consideration must also be made regarding turn-on policies for BWCs given concerns that more frequent recording has the

potential to damage rapport with incarcerated individuals.

Keywords: body-worn cameras; prison; correctional officers; technology

Prison presents a challenging environment for both persons in custody and correctional

staff to navigate, particularly within a context of growing incarceration rates and issues

of overcrowding (Dolovich, 2017; MacDonald, 2018). Statistics indicate that prison vio-

lence is on the rise in many countries. A recent investigation of Alabama’s state prisons

found a dramatic increase in violence among persons in custody in the past 5 years

AUTHORS’ NOTE: The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Queensland Corrective

Services Research, Evaluation and Performance group, particularly Sandra Sacre, Jennifer Bell, and Melanie

Conway, in facilitating the research. Thanks also goes to Rebecca Taylor for assistance with data coding and

report preparation. Finally, we thank the Queensland Corrective Services staff who participated in this study.

The views expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of Queensland Corrective

Services. This project was funded by a 2018 Queensland Corrective Services Research Grant awarded to the

authors. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Shannon Dodd, School of Social

Science, The University of Queensland, Sir Fred Schonell Drive, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072,

Australia; e-mail: s.dodd@uq.edu.au.

942288CJBXXX10.1177/0093854820942288Criminal Justice and BehaviorDodd et al. / Cameras in Corrections

research-article2020

Dodd et al. / CAMERAS IN CORRECTIONS 1191

(Department of Justice, 2019). Between 2006–2007 and 2014–2015, assaults committed by

incarcerated individuals against other persons in custody also rose by 93% in Canada’s

federal prisons (Scotia, 2016), whereas in England and Wales, 24,138 of these assaults were

recorded in 2018—an 18% increase from the previous year (Ministry of Justice, 2019). At

the same time, the number of assaults on prison staff by the individuals held in their custody

reached a record high, up 29% to 10,085 assaults (Ministry of Justice, 2019). Similar

upsurges in prison violence have been documented across several Australian jurisdictions

(including Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria) over the last decade (Queensland

Corrective Services [QCS], 2018). The consequences of this violence are nontrivial. For

incarcerated individuals, victimization while in custody can cause further trauma, stifle

rehabilitation efforts, and reduce cooperation with correctional staff due to damaged per-

ceptions of procedural justice and legitimacy (Beijersbergen et al., 2015; Rocheleau, 2015).

For correctional staff, exposure to violence can exacerbate work stress, provide a catalyst

for posttraumatic stress disorder, and lead to burnout (Boudoukha et al., 2013).

In response to the significant threat prison violence poses to both those in custody and

correctional officers, corrective service agencies in the United States, United Kingdom,

Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia have recently implemented body-worn camera

(BWC) programs (e.g., Beales & Marsh, 2016; Hong Kong Correctional Services, 2018;

McLennan, 2019; Ministry of Justice, 2017). To date, the scholarly literature on BWCs has

focused almost entirely on the use of this technology by police (for reviews, see Lum et al.,

2019; White, 2014; but see Ariel et al., 2019; Ho et al., 2017 for research outside policing),

however, it is widely believed that the benefits offered to police by BWCs would apply

equally to correctional officers (Crime and Corruption Commission Queensland [CCCQ],

2018). Based on a general theory of deterrence, the use of BWCs by correctional officers is

thought to deter undesirable behavior through increased surveillance or awareness of sur-

veillance (e.g., see review in Ariel et al., 2015). In turn, the presence of BWCs is presumed

to reduce the likelihood of violence by incarcerated individuals and officer use of force, due

to the increased chance of getting caught (Ariel et al., 2016). It is also argued that the evi-

dence collected by BWCs will reduce the number of frivolous and/or vexatious complaints

made against correctional officers and, as a result, improve staff perceptions of job security

(e.g., as per Ariel et al.’s 2017 findings in the policing context).

In the corrections context, there is little empirical research regarding the impact of

BWCs. However, some support for claims of these BWC effects has been found with a New

Zealand evaluation reporting a decrease in the frequency and intensity of assaults on prison

officers and increased feelings of safety among staff (Beales & Marsh, 2016). In this con-

text, the value of BWCs as an effective de-escalation and training tool was also observed

(Beales & Marsh, 2016). However, this evaluation appears to be the first of its kind and is

exploratory in nature—thus, much more rigorous research is still needed. Little is known,

for example, about whether correctional officers support the use of BWCs or whether a

prison environment raises unique challenges for the implementation of this technology.

This study, thus, explores correctional officers’ views on the use of BWCs in prisons, fol-

lowing the recent trial and implementation of a BWC program in Queensland, Australia.

Using a mixed-methods approach, we assess correctional officers’ perceptions of BWCs by

drawing on a statewide survey of officers from prisons where a BWC program has been intro-

duced (N = 548) and in-depth interviews with officers and other staff involved in the opera-

tion of the BWC program (N = 34). From these data, we consider officer support for the use