ABSTRACT
Correctional officers (COs) epitomize the legitimate power of the state to segregate, administrate, and care for individuals who break criminal laws; they are a central figure in any correctional system. However, COs’ views of prison, punishment, and rehabilitation are yet to be heard and analyzed. This study contrasts with a large-sized scholarship that discusses correctional officers’ views of correctional work in terms of quantitatively generated categories that reduce officers and their perspectives to clear-cut, self-exclusionary orientations (e.g., punitive, rehabilitative, and moral dualist). Instead of categorizing officers’ orientations and perceptions, this study inquires into how officers working in Canada's federal prison system view prison, punishment, and rehabilitation, exploring the nuances and ambiguities in their perspectives. This study is based on 72 semi-structured interviews with officers who had completed a year of experience on the job. Findings provide insights into the meanings of incarceration and the nature of power in Canada and other liberal societies.
