Correctional Officers and Social Media: Policies, Challenges, and Vulnerabilities

In this article, we draw from 159 qualitative interviews with Canadian correctional officers (COs) exploring their experiences and attitudes regarding social media. We frame our study within the “synoptic” mode of surveillance and public visibility—referring to the many observing the few—impacting public safety personnel, exploring the perceived vulnerabilities of COs, including toward prisoners, management, the organization, and the public. We highlight recent research on COs, especially in the Canadian context, and review the synoptic surveillance implications of social media in society. Our findings highlight four interrelated areas: COs (sometimes lack of) awareness of Correctional Service Canada (CSC) policies regarding social media use; challenges they experience online; the central role of privacy; and strategies they use to manage challenges and maintain privacy, especially considering their role as public representatives. We conclude by discussing how the use of social media produces new vulnerabilities for COs in public spaces and suggest future directions for research and practices.