U.S. Marines military police officer shows restraints used for transporting detainees at Camp X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (January 10, 2002).
Corrections Officer
| Occupation |
| Names |
Correctional officer, corrections officer, detention officer |
| Occupation type |
Employment |
| Activity sectors |
Law enforcement |
| Description |
| Competencies |
See Working environment |
| Education required |
See Training |
| Related jobs |
Police officer |
A prison officer (UK[1] and Ireland,[2] and the official English title in Denmark,[3] Finland,[4] and Sweden[5]), also known as corrections officer (New Zealand,[6] US[7][8]), correctional officer (Australia,[9] Canada,[10][11][12] Jamaica,[13] and US[14]), or detention officer (US[15]), is a person responsible for the supervision, safety, and security of prisoners in a prison, jail, or similar form of secure custody. Historically, terms such as jailer (also spelled jailor or gaoler), jail guard, prison guard, and turnkey[16] have also been used.
Corrections Officers are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been arrested and are awaiting trial while on remand or who have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to serve time in a prison or jail. They are also responsible for the safety and security of the facility itself. Most officers are employed by the government of the jurisdiction in which they operate, though some are employed by private companies.
Contents
- 1 Duties
- 2 Training
- 3 See also
- 4 Notes
- 5 References
Duties[edit]
Correctional Officers must maintain order and daily operations of the facility. A Correction Officer has a responsibility to control inmates who may be dangerous, and that society themselves do not wish to accommodate. An officer must always prevent disturbances, assaults, and escapes by supervising activities and work assignments of inmates. Officers have a responsibility to protect the public from incarcerated criminals, protect fellow officers from inmates and protect inmates from other inmates at all times. An officer must be alert and aware of any and all movement taking place inside the facility. Prevention is one of the key component to an officers duties. Officers can utilize prevention by routinely searching inmates and their living quarters for potential threats such as weapons or drugs. An officer must make their presence known at all time and remain assertive and refusing to back down. An officer must be a disciplinarian and enforce the rules and punish when rules are violated. Corrections Officers also must take full concern for the health and safety of the facility. Officers check for unsanitary conditions, fire hazards, and/or any evidence of tampering or damage to locks, bars, grilles, doors, and gates. Officers must screen all incoming and outgoing mail as well as all visitors as a prevention method for future issues that could cause risk to safety and security of the facilities, inmates and staff. Corrections Officers also must assist in transportation responsibilities that may include transfers to other facilities, medical appointments, court appearances and other approved locations. A Correction Officer may assist local Police Officers. [17]
Training[edit]
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:
- Use of force and restraints (i.e., handcuffs, leg-irons, belly-chain, etc.)
- Weapons (firearms, pepper spray, batons, taser etc.)
- Self-defense
- First aid and CPR
- Report writing
- Giving testimony in court
- Diffusion of hostility
- Interpersonal Communication
- Correction Law
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Procedure Law
- Case work and criminal investigations
- Hostage Negotiation
- Gang Intelligence
Many jurisdictions have also, in recent years, expanded basic training to include:
- Suicide Prevention/Crisis Intervention
- Critical incident stress management
- Occupational Safety and Health Act (U.S.) or Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (Canada)
- Gang awareness and intervention
- Crisis or hostage negotiation
- Law Enforcement
- Drug abuse training
- Rehabilitation programs
- Rapid response trainings
See also[edit]
|
Law enforcement portal |
|
Criminal justice portal |
- Correctional Service of Canada
- Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (Ontario, Canada)
- Bailiff (Ontario, Canada)
- Federal Bureau of Prisons (USA)
- Her Majesty's Prison Service (UK)
- New York State Department of Correctional Services
- Correctional Emergency Response Team
- Law enforcement officer
- Police officer
- Deputy Sheriff (United States)
- Punjab Prisons (Pakistan)
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Notes[edit]
- ^ Her Majesty's Prison Service – Career Information. Retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ Irish Prison Service – Recruitment. Retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ The Danish Prison and Probation Service – General Information, page 5 Retrieved 2012-07-07
- ^ The Training Institute for Prison and Probation Services, Finland Retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ Swedish Prison and Probation Service – Fact Sheet. Retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ New Zealand Department of Corrections – Job Description. Retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ Indeed: Corrections Officer Salary Retrieved 2012-07-07
- ^ Yukon Department of Justice website Retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ Queensland Corrective Services – Employment Information Retrieved 2012-07-07
- ^ Correctional Service Canada – Correctional Officer job profile Retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ Ontario Correctional Services – Careers Retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ British Columbia Corrections – Employment Information Retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ Jamaica Department of Correctional Service – Roles of Correctional Officer Retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ US Department of Labour – Correctional Officer job statistics Retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ FBI Atlanta: Former Fulton County Detention Officer Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison Retrieved 2012-07-07
- ^ Ontario Provincial Secretary and the Inspector of Prisons' report on the Toronto Central Prison Retrieved 29 November 2011
- ^ Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010–11 Edition
References[edit]
- Davenport, D. K. (2001). State of Arizona Office of the Auditor General Performance Audit: Arizona Department of Corrections. Sunset Factors Retrieved 8 March 2008 from http://www.auditorgen.state.az.us/Reports/State_Agencies/Agencies/Corrections
- Tracy, S. J. (2004). The construction of correctional officers: Layers of emotionality behind bars. Qualitative Inquiry, 10, 509–533.
- Tracy, S. J., Meyers, K., & Scott, C. (2007). Cracking jokes and crafting selves: Sensemaking and identity management among human service workers. Communication Monographs, 73, 283–308.
- Correctional Service of Canada; Correctional Officers and Their First Year: An Empirical Investigation
|
Incarceration
|
|
| Science |
- Correctional medicine
- Criminology
- Penology
- Punishment
- Stanford prison experiment
|
|
| Prisoners |
- Criminal
- Detainee
- Hostage
- Political prisoner
- Prisoner of conscience
- Prisoner of war
- Slave
|
|
| Prisons |
|
Types
|
- Black site
- Dark
- Debtors'
- Extermination camp
- Farm
- Gulag
- Internment
- Labor camp
- Military
- Penal colony
- Prisoner-of-war camp
- Private
- Ship
- Youth detention center
|
|
|
Security levels
|
- Administrative detention
- Death row
- Maximum security
- Open
- Solitary confinement
- Supermax
|
|
|
Components
|
- Cell
- Cemetery
- Commissary
- Food
- Library
- Nursery
- Officer
- Warden
- Sally port
- Superintendent of Jail
- Trusty System
|
|
|
Escape
|
- List of prison escapes
- People who escaped
- helicopter prison escapes
- prisoner-of-war escapes
|
|
|
| Culture |
- Film
- Gang
- Handball
- Literature (American)
- Prison ring
- Slang
- Tattooing
|
|
| Social issues |
- Abuse
- Contemplative programs
- Education
- LGBT people
- Mobile phones
- Overcrowding
- Rape
- Religion
- Riots
- Sexuality
- Strikes
- Suicide
|
|
| Organizations |
- International Network of Prison Ministries
- African Prisons Project
- European Prison Education Association
- Florida Justice Institute
- Prison abolition movement
- Prison Advice and Care Trust
- Prison Fellowship
- Prison Fellowship International
- Prison Legal News
- Prison Officers Association
- Prison Radio
- Prison Reform Trust
- Prison University Project
- The Prison Phoenix Trust
- WriteAPrisoner.com
|
|
| Leaving prison |
- Escape
- Rehabilitation
- Work release
|
|
| Lists |
- Countries by incarceration rate
- Prisons
|
|
- Imprisonment and detention
- Commons
- Criminal justice portal
|
|
