ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a general framework that describes all the factors that influence the way in which body cameras “work.” The framework consists of variables that need to be considered in order to better understand how, where, when, and why bodycams have an impact and why they sometimes do not. The chapter supports practitioners within law enforcement agencies who want to make optimal use of the latest academic insights, but find they are struggling to make sense of the sometimes contradictory findings from different studies. The vast majority of information on bodycams comes from the United States. The political, social, and policing contexts influence the goals people hope to achieve with bodycams; they impact on how the bodycams “work” and they determine how we measure their effects.
