ArticleThe British journal of criminology2023
The Floating Signifier of 'Safety': Correctional Officer Perspectives on COVID-19 Restrictions, Legitimacy and Prison Order.
Article in The British journal of criminology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Mental health issues and associated factors amongst healthcare workers in US forensic-correctional settings: a systematic review of literature since the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC health services research · 2026Pooled it
- "It's gotta be really hard to be a mom inside right now:" a qualitative analysis on the impacts of COVID-19 on perinatal support programs for people in prison.Health & justice · 2025Article
- "We were on lockdown for pretty much my entire pregnancy": a qualitative study of pregnancy care in prisons and jails during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect prisons internationally. Existing research focuses on infection data, meaning we do not fully understand how COVID-19 shapes frontline prison dynamics. We draw on qualitative interviews with 21 Canadian federal correctional officers, exploring how the pandemic impacted prison management. Officers suggested inconsistent messaging around COVID-19 protocols reduced institutional and officers' self-legitimacy, fracturing trust relationships with incarcerated people. Furthermore, officers suggest that personal protective equipment such as gowns and face shields took on multiple meanings. We use Lévi-Strauss' floating signifier concept to analyse how individual definitions of 'safety' informed day-to-day prison routines. We conclude by arguing that legitimacy deficits and contested definitions of 'safety' will continue to create uncertainty, impacting prison operations going forward.
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