Equity in Innovation: The Role of Organizational Justice and Managerial Support in Shaping Officer Attitudes Towards Body Worn Cameras in Prison

Features of correctional agencies, such as the hierarchical structure and strong workgroup culture, can make technological change in the prison setting difficult. Research on implementing innovations within organizations shows that the successful adoption of new technologies like Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) is influenced not only by individual characteristics and the nature of the innovation itself but also by organizational practices and policies. This study explores how managerial support for technology and organizational justice influences correctional officers’ resistance to BWCs and their willingness to comply with a BWC policy. The results suggest that both managerial support and organizational justice play a role in predicting officers’ resistance to BWCs and compliance with policy. Further, organizational justice moderates the effect of managerial support on officer compliance. These findings indicate that emphasizing organizational justice through managerial support may foster more successful technology adoption than approaches centered solely on individual characteristics.