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

Abstract

Corrective service agencies worldwide have started to introduce body-worn cameras (BWCs) in prisons as part of correctional officers’ personal protective equipment. Like the policing context, this technology is often introduced in haste, with little consideration of the privacy and ethical concerns that may be raised through this more intensive form of prisoner surveillance. No studies to date have explored the decision-making of correctional officers around BWCs. Thus, this article details a mixed-methods study of correctional officers’ use of BWCs in Queensland, Australia. This study demonstrates how correctional officers exercise their discretion around BWC use, including how and in what situations they activate their camera and the ways they navigate the use of this technology amidst prisoner privacy and security concerns.