ABSTRACT
The use of force within the corrections component of criminal justice takes a variety of forms. Research overall within corrections has been fairly robust, but the use of force by and against staff has received far less scholarly attention. The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is an agency within the US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons. Corrections professional groups such as the American Correctional Association (ACA) and the American Jail Association (AJA) also provide resources, training, and policy guidance on use of force and virtually every other aspect of corrections. These groups are important to the continuing professionalization and progress of the field. The use of private providers in the field of corrections is neither new nor unusual. Community corrections officers, usually probation or parole, interact with offenders who are under the control of the court but not confined to a locked facility.
