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A corrections officer, correctional officer, detention officer, jail guard, prison guard, prison warder, or prison officer, is a person charged with the responsibility of the supervision, safety and security of prisoners in a prison, jail, or similar form of secure custody. These 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 a correctional facility. Most prison officers are employed by the Government of the country in which they operate though some are employed by private companies.
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Duties
The duties of a Correctional Officer can vary but often include
- Maintaining order within the institution
- Enforcing facility rules and regulations
- Searching inmates and cells for contraband
- Reports inmate misbehavior
- Transportation of inmates to hospitals, courts or other correctional facilities.
Working environment
A correctional officer's job is often considered dangerous with inmate confrontations resulting in many injuries a year. A correctional officer's working environment can vary considerably with some correctional institutions being modern, well lit, air-conditioned and ventilated while others are old, overcrowded, and noisy. Correctional officers often work on a rotating shift basis including weekends and holidays. Because a correctional institution is a controlled environment inmates will often attempt to disrupt that environment. Various remedies for such disruptions, including physical and less than lethal force, isolation and less lethal weaponry are often adopted depending on the type of correctional facility and it's jurisdiction.
Prison classification
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- See also: Prison
The duties a correctional officer carries out will often depend on the type of institution in which they work. For instance, a correctional officer at a minimum security institution may be responsible for casually supervising inmates as they work while a correctional officer at a maximum security institution may be responsible for searching for weapons. The following is based on US Bureau of Prisons classification but is generally representative of most countries.
Minimum
- Little if any perimeter fencing and dormitory housing
- Relatively low guard to inmate ratio
- Inmates often provide labor for adjacent institutions
Low
- Increased perimeter fencing
- Higher guard to inmate ratio
- Strong work programs
Medium
- Strengthened perimeter
- Mostly cell-type housing
- Greater internal controls
- Some work programs
High
- Highly secured perimeters (usually both walls and fences)
- Cell housing (often a small number of inmates per cell)
- Very close control of internal movement
