Having one’s complaint heard. The knowledge implicit in prison disciplinary reports
The competence of correctional officers is judged by their ability to keep order in the area for which they are responsible. In rare instances, however, they may choose to refer problematic situations to a disciplinary committee. Pragmatic sociology suggests that such referrals should be seen as complaints that, if they are to be considered valid, must be understood in light of knowledge implicit in the documents themselves. Our discursive analysis of disciplinary reports written over a year in a Québec prison allowed us to determine the understanding of justice and the interpretative repertoires used by correctional officers in communicating their complaints. This exploration of the form and content of disciplinary reports suggests that it is important to consider the role of these documents as mediators between different levels of authority.