I hope and pray that your explanation is the correct one in this case.
I know this was the case when I was in the Navy. For instance......If a Marine guard at the brig had to shoot an escaping prisoner, the Marine would be Court Martialed, fined .50 cents for the bullet and rewarded with a carton of smokes for doing his duty. This was done to keep the parents of the shot prisoner from bringing a law suit against the Marine. Sounds a little crazy but it worked.