ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the topic by integrating observations with ethnographic interviews and chatting. It focuses on the lawful use of force. Officers' use of force is an example of a 'disturbing event' that the penal system tries to hide from the public gaze as much as possible. Boxers fight with each other on the basis of reciprocity, but officers use force against inmates on the basis of their dominant position and their monopoly on the lawful use of force and coercion. Officers' use of force is often likely to be lawful. Usually, force would only be used by officers as a last resort. It would emerge against a backdrop of negotiations and would normally be introduced when coercion is threatened rather than performed. The chapter concludes by saying that by using force to a greater or lesser degree, the emergency squad would usually overcome resistance fairly quickly.
