Correctional officers and the use of force as an organizational behavior

Abstract During the past 30 years, bureaucratic managerialism has reshaped how prison staff maintain order. Policies and graduated disciplinary models have replaced coercive methods, reducing use of force by against incarcerated people. Managerialism, however, disguises deep problems in interpretation enforcement use‐of‐force policies. Drawing on 131 semistructured interviews with Canadian correctional officers (COs), I show managers interpret negotiate policies to justify using Although COs frame management supervision as significant checks their actions, they also suggest that inconsistencies policy implementation facilitate certain kinds decisions, which define “construction” “outsourcing.” conclude discussing broader organizational implications these findings.