This study addresses critical knowledge gaps and offers one of the first tests of a correctional body-worn camera (BWC) program by investigating the effect of BWCs on jail resident injuries during response-to-resistance (RTR) events.
This study addresses critical knowledge gaps and offers one of the first tests of a correctional body-worn camera (BWC) program. The authors investigate the effect of BWCs on jail resident injuries during response-to-resistance (RTR) events. Little is known about use-of-force incidents in prisons and jails, nor the rate at which these incidents result in injuries to incarcerated residents. Yet, in response to calls for greater transparency and accountability among criminal justice agencies, correctional administrators have increasingly turned to BWCs to address these issues and enhance the safety and security of their staff and resident populations. The authors used a one-year randomized controlled trial among 12 housing units in the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center in Virginia. Negative binomial regression investigated the effects of BWCs on jail resident injuries during RTRs, and logistic regression predicted whether RTRs result in an injury. A 58% reduction in predicted injuries in unit-months where jail deputies were assigned BWCs, corresponding to an average of 0.17 resident injuries in unit-months without cameras and 0.07 injuries in unit-months with cameras. BWCs also reduced the likelihood of injury occurring by a factor of 0.12 (injuries occurred in 28.4% of RTRs without BWCs, versus 8.8% of RTRs with BWCs). (Published Abstract Provided)