The Use of Force and Its Limits in the Penitentiary Context
The PolPen surveys, conducted by the research group led by Prof. Cornelli during 2021 and 2022, and promoted by the Department of Law at the University of Milan-Bicocca in collaboration with Prap Lombardia and Prap Piemonte-Liguria-Valle d’Aosta, were the first Italian surveys aimed at analyzing the perspective of prison officers. The study provided an insightful overview of essential issues such as the quality of workplace relationships, emotional experiences, the perceived legitimacy of their work, and the management of critical incidents.
For more information on the study in Lombardy, click here; for the study in Piedmont, Liguria, and Aosta Valley, click here and for the study on critical incidents, click here.
These investigations highlight the need to further explore a key issue in prison officers’ work: the use of force by staff, employing investigative techniques that can examine organizational aspects, operational practices, and daily relational dynamics.
The research, funded by PSR funds from the University of Milan, aims to delve into the complexities of the use of force in penitentiary settings by listening to the experiences and perspectives of officers who have faced critical situations involving the use of force. The goal is to reconstruct the challenges encountered, the underlying motivations, and the meaning of the behaviors adopted, in order to better understand the limits of force in specific situations.
This objective guides the use of qualitative research techniques. Specifically, the plan includes conducting interviews with key figures (directors, commanders, prison administration officials) from various correctional facilities, as well as in-depth interviews with officers involved in situations where force was used.
The Scientific Coordinator of the research project is Prof. Roberto Cornelli, University of Milan; the research team consists of Dr. Chiara Chisari, Dr. Laura Squillace, and Dr. Lucrezia Rossi.
