“Cameras help, but hurt”: The role and use of prison cameras for accountability

• In Event: Issues in Prison Culture and Policy: Research from the Prison Research & Innovation Initiative

Abstract

The context of the carceral environment is based on the logic of surveillance and relies on cameras to act as the ever-present eyes of the institution. We explore the investigative roles that cameras play in the institution from the perspective of correctional staff and incarcerated persons. A qualitative study was conducted in a medium-security institution in the Midwest region of the United States, as part of the Prison Research and Innovation Initiative (PRII). Results are based on semi-structured interviews with incarcerated adults and correctional staff (including, custody and non-custody staff). Upholding accountability was a perceived benefit of reviewing footage from prison cameras during investigations, yet the harms of selective enforcement against the incarcerated population and the perceived misuse of cameras for staff disciplinary actions thwarted the benefits of having and using cameras.

Authors

• Victoria Inzana, University of Missouri-St. Louis

• Jasmine Kaur, University of New Haven

• Janet Garcia-Hallett, University of New Haven

• Ashley Givens, University of Missouri

• Beth M. Huebner, Arizona State University

• Elizabeth Taylor, University of Missouri

• Kelli Canada, University of Missouri