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Prison officer

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Prisons officer
A prison guard on lookout in the watchtower at Parramatta Gaol
Occupation
Names
  • Correctional officer
  • Correctional Law Enforcement Officer
  • Corrections officer
  • Correctional Police Officer
  • Detention officer
  • Detention deputy
Occupation type
Employment
Activity sectors
Law enforcement
Description
CompetenciesSee Working environment
Education required
See Training
Fields of
employment
Prisons, jails
Related jobs
Police officer

A prison officer (PO) or corrections officer (CO), also known as a correctional law enforcement officer or less formally as a prison guard, is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners.

Terms for the role

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A turnkey of a Paris prison, 19th century
A Russian jail with a prison guard, 1915

Historically, terms such as "jailer" (also spelled "gaoler"), "guard" and "warder"[1] have all been used.

The term "prison officer" is used for the role in the UK[2] and Ireland.[3] It is the official English title in Denmark,[4] Finland,[5] Sweden[6] and Poland.[7]

The term "corrections officer" or "correction officer" is used in the U.S.[8][9] and New Zealand.[10]

The term "correctional police officer" or "CPO" is used in New Jersey. Due to the law enforcement status and authority of New Jersey's officers, New Jersey's officers employed by the Department of Corrections are classified as "police officers".[11][12]

Brazil has a similar system to New Jersey, but the officers are known as "state penal police agent" or "federal penal police agent".[13]

"Correctional officer" is used in Australia,[14] Canada,[15][16][17] Jamaica,[18] and the U.S.[19]

In Australia, prison officers were known as turnkeys until the 19th century after which they were known as warders until the late 20th century. Additionally, a slang term used as an insult or form of group endearment during this period was 'screws'. Following this period they were known as prison officers and later correctional officers.[20]

"Detention officer" is used in the U.S.,[21] as is the term "penal officer".[22]

The official who is in charge of a specific prison is known by various titles, including: "prison warden" (US and Canada), "governor" (UK and Australia), "superintendent" (South Asia) or "director" (New Zealand), respectively "Direktor" or "Gefängnisdirektor" (Germany).

Duties

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US Marshals and prisoners on board a Con Air flight

Prison officers are responsible for the security of the facility and its property as well as other law enforcement functions.

Correction officers may assist police officers on/off duty depending on their peace officer status and jurisdiction.[23]

Most prison officers or corrections officers are employed by the government of the jurisdiction in which they operate, although some are employed by private companies that provide prison services to the government.

Training

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Corrections officers' training will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction as well as facility to facility depending on the legislated power given, the nature of the facilities, or even the socioeconomics of the region.

Training may be provided by external agencies or at the facility with a peer-group or supervisor instructor. In North America, standard training usually includes:

Many jurisdictions have also, in recent years, expanded basic training to include:

Specialised units

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Most institutions in the United States have a crisis resolution team of some sort, though these vary in name:

Name Abbreviation
Crisis Resolution Team CRT
Special Response Team SRT
Critical Incident Response Team CIRT
Correctional Emergency Response Team CERT
Crisis and Emergency Response Team
Correctional Emergency Unit CEU
Special Security Team SST
Disturbance Control Team DCT
Special Operations And Response Team SORT
Tactical Support Unit TSU

These teams take on a role similar to a police SWAT or Special Weapons and Tactics team, but are tailored to the prison setting.

Though these vary greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, they typically must pass a very physically and mentally demanding tactical academy or training course, often lasting a week or more.

Special units must qualify regularly and at shorter intervals than regular line staff to remain in the specialized position. They must also score in the 90th percentile or better of the standard scoring systems.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "warder, n.1". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ "Working for HMPS". UK Government. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  3. ^ Irish Prison Service – Recruitment Archived 17 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 November 2011
  4. ^ The Danish Prison and Probation Service – General Information, page 5 Archived 17 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2012-07-07
  5. ^ The Training Institute for Prison and Probation Services, Finland Archived 5 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 29 November 2011
  6. ^ Swedish Prison and Probation Service – Fact Sheet. Retrieved 29 November 2011
  7. ^ Compendium for foreign nationals on remand, convicted or punished
  8. ^ Indeed: Corrections Officer Salary Retrieved 2012-07-07
  9. ^ Yukon Department of Justice website Retrieved 29 November 2011
  10. ^ New Zealand Department of Corrections – Job Description Archived 5 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Corrections.govt.nz Retrieved 29 November 2011
  11. ^ NJ Civil Service: Correctional Police Officer Retrieved 2021-06-13
  12. ^ NJ Civil Service: County Correctional Police Officer Retrieved 2021-06-13
  13. ^ Junior, Janary (6 July 2024). "Promulgada emenda constitucional que cria Polícia Penal, para atuar no sistema prisional". Câmara dos Deputados. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  14. ^ Queensland Corrective Services – Employment Information Retrieved 2012-07-07
  15. ^ Correctional Service Canada – Correctional officer job profile Archived 24 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 29 November 2011
  16. ^ Ontario Correctional Services – Careers Retrieved 29 November 2011
  17. ^ British Columbia Corrections – Employment Information Retrieved 29 November 2011
  18. ^ Jamaica Department of Correctional Service – Roles of Correctional Officer[usurped] Retrieved 29 November 2011
  19. ^ US Department of Labor – Correctional Officer job statistics Retrieved 29 November 2011
  20. ^ Dawson, Christopher. "Screw!". Inside Boggo Road. Boggo Road Gaol Historical Society. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  21. ^ FBI Atlanta: Former Fulton County Detention Officer Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison Retrieved 2012-07-07
  22. ^ Career Occupational Profile for: Penal Officer Retrieved 2014-03-17
  23. ^ "Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010–11 Edition". Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.

Further reading

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