ABSTRACT
OVERVIEW Law enforcement and correctional personnel have legal authority to use force in the performance of their duties. The police frequently use force to effect lawful arrests, in self-defense, and to overcome unlawful resistance. Correctional personnel frequently use force in self-defense, breaking up fights, maintaining security and order, and quelling disturbances or riots. When using force, criminal justice personnel must justify the type and degree of force used in any situation and are required to use force within a framework of legally prescribed guidelines. Agency procedures guide officers in their use of force. Using force outside these guidelines can give rise to civil liability if a citizen or prisoner alleges that the officer violated his or her constitutionally protected rights by using unreasonable force.
