Media coverage of N.L. correctional officers missing the mark, says study

When asked about the public's perception of his former line of work, retired correctional officer David Harvey sighs.

"We're just so stereotyped," Harvey said.

"What most people know about correctional officers [comes from] either, you know, seeing a movie or TV show. And a lot of times you see this guy walking down a hallway with his baton hitting the bars — and honest to God, you know, a lot of people think that's what we do all day long."

Screen depictions aren't entirely to blame for these stereotypes, according to Harvey. He said media coverage of correctional officers also plays a large role. And during Harvey's 30-year career at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's — and in the years since his retirement in 2014 — he said media coverage of correctional officers has been "mostly negative."

"A lot of the time the full story never, ever came out," he said.

As an example, Harvey brought up the three correctional officers who intervened during the 2014 prison riot at HMP. In the online footage of the incident, Harvey said, "you can see our correctional officers in there jumping in — no weapons, no nothing — and trying to save people." 

But in the ensuing media coverage of the riot, Harvey said the correctional officers' actions that day were never highlighted.

"You know these positive things that officers do, they're just never, ever brought up," he said. "I don't think anyone's looking for a medal, that's not my thing. You know, people know what they're getting into when they get into this job. But the negativity — it just hurts a lot of people."

'If you're just someone that just follows the news, you'll probably hate us'

Harvey is not alone in his concerns.

According to a recent study, "News Media Framing of Correctional Officers: 'Corrections is So Negative, We Don't Get Any Good Recognition,'" media coverage is a common source of worry and unease for correctional officers in St. John's. 

Memorial University researchers Rosemary Ricciardelli, Mark Stoddart and Heather Austin interviewed 25 correctional officers employed at HMP in 2019 for the study. The authors also analyzed news articles featuring correctional officers published that year in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Very few news articles had anything positive to say about correctional officers, according to Ricciardelli. She also said the "nuance of the job and the reality of the job" was never discussed.

"Most of [the articles were] relatively negative and often tied to any sort of incident that was occurring down at HMP and other institutions on the island," Ricciardelli said.

Multiple correctional officers spoke about the impact of the media depictions.

"If you're just someone that just follows the news, you'll probably hate us," said one correctional officer quoted anonymously in the study.

"Nobody knows what goes on here," said another unnamed worker. "They only see what comes out on the news."

Fearing scrutiny from strangers, some correctional officers said they refuse to wear their uniforms in public because of the media coverage.

Still, Ricciardelli said, the correctional officers she interviewed expressed great pride in their jobs.

"They just wish that people could see their role for all the nuance that it is. Because they are first responders," she said. "They're the ones who would put out a fire if there was a fire. They respond to medical emergencies and they preserve public safety, or enforce the laws within the institutions."

As well, Ricciardelli said, correctional officers set up phone calls, facilitate meetings with lawyers and encourage inmates to attend prison programs.

"There are challenges," Ricciardelli continued, "and there's many things that can bring [correctional officers] down. But you also see these individuals who are really motivated to make an impact in a person's life."

A number of correctional officers also relayed their experiences of saving inmates' lives. As a researcher in the field, Ricciardelli said, she often hears correctional officers share these kinds of experiences.

"For example, if I take a sample of 100 correctional officers, I'm guessing probably 60-70 will tell me about a life they saved," said Ricciardelli.

If Harvey was included in that hypothetical sample, he could share an experience from about 15 years ago — though in his case, Harvey wasn't able to save the inmate in question; the inmate died by suicide. Still, Harvey said he and his co-workers followed all protocols before the man's death.

"And I remember, I think it was about two weeks later, actually, I received a thank-you card," he said. 

"It was this person's sister [who] sent me a thank-you card, thanking me and the other officers for doing what we did to try and save her brother's life."

That card meant a great deal to Harvey.

"I still have it home," he said.

Correctional officers want a media spokesperson, study says

Like many workers, correctional officers are not permitted to speak openly with the media. In Newfoundland and Labrador, all correctional officers are members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees. Union president Jerry Earle is the official media spokesperson for over 25,000 employees represented by that union.

But Ricciardelli said the correctional officers she and her co-authors interviewed feel voiceless.

"There was a hope that maybe they could have a communications person who could kind of give their perspective and their side, because things look a lot worse, or sound a lot worse, than perhaps they actually are," said Ricciardelli.

Ricciardelli said the wish for a correctional officer media spokesperson should not be construed as a wish for less accountability.

"Changing perceptions — it's not about decreasing accountability in any way," she said. "It's about giving equity so people can explain themselves."

Harvey also likes the idea of a correctional officer-specific spokesperson. He said he'd hope the individual would relay what correctional officers "really" do and even put a little good news out there.

"Prison is not a real 'good news' place to work," said Harvey.

"But on occasion, you know, there are some good things that happen down there. But no one ever hears about that."

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