This depends on what you mean by "indiscriminate." If you
mean to ask whether corrections officers should be able to take away inmates' privileges
at their whim, in an arbitrary way, then I would argue that they should not. The rule
of law should apply even in prisons.
This is not to say
that corrections officers should not be able to take away privileges. But this power
should not be indiscriminate. There should be clear rules about what is and is not
permissible for inmates. Violations of these clear rules should bring about
punishment. However, officers should not have the power to punish inmates for no
objective reason. Giving them such power would simply lead to abuse as officers used
that power to punish inmates they did not like, simply for personal reasons. The US is
supposed to be a nation of laws, not of people in power acting arbitrarily. This ideal
should apply in prisons as well.
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