Informing Correctional Officer Discretion: A Co-Response Model and the Legal Vulnerabilities Inherent in Prison Work

Abstract

I draw data from an ethnographic experience of participating in correctional officer training at the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) to explore the position of prisoner health in informing correctional officer discretion. I unpack how through training CSC holds recruits accountable for their actions, reactions, and discretionary behaviors, while also structuring recruit decision-making by enforcing a model that promotes a co-response between health care and security actors in prison. I speak to correctional officer legal vulnerabilities, the value of documentation as a means to rationalize actions, and make recommendations for future research, policy, and training practices.