Day in the Life of a Correctional Officer

Becoming a correctional officer

The day starts early—correctional officers work 40 hours a week. They put on a uniform, showing the importance of unity in the workplace. Prisoners need to have a disciplined life and it helps to promote an institutionalized setting to make all prisoners feel equal. Getting to work they need to go through security, which is there to keep themselves, the prisoners, and the wider community safe. They patrol the corridors making sure prisoners are well as they wake for the day. Breakfast is a military operation as are all meals.

They check the schedule for the day and find out what duties each prisoner has been assigned, taking each prisoner to the area they are working. Today the officer is supervising the kitchen, where some of the prisoners are soon to be released once they have learned how to cope when they are paroled.

After the morning’s activities the prisoners eat together. There is a seating plan based on the personalities and backgrounds of each prisoner, as they do not all get along. During lunch, guards alternate delivering lunch to some of the high risk prisoners who need to be kept isolated and can’t be left with other prisoners.

After lunch, the officer moves one of the prisoners to another prison. The officers prepare the van and work through all the paperwork they need. The last thing to do is move the prisoner, who is restrained, and moved as quickly as possible to minimalize any danger to the officers and any distress to the prisoner. Inmates have rights even though they are incarcerated, and these are respected at all times. The move goes well and paperwork is completed that is needed for the transfer.

During the afternoon there is visiting time, which happens daily, but each prisoner is only allowed one visit a fortnight. Due to the distance some visitors have to travel, prisoners are allowed to bank these days and have them all over a few days. The officers take the prisoners into a room where their visitor can be with them. Visits last for 2 hours, which can be distressing for some prisoners especially if they have their children visit. They then need compassion and support to get them through.

During the evening meal there is an altercation between two of the prisoners from rival gangs where altercations may occur. Officers are specially trained to defuse these situations quickly and efficiently, causing as little distress to the prisoners and themselves as possible. Once the dispute has died down and all the other prisoners have been sent back to their rooms, it is time to write up the days events, they have to put any incidents onto the prisoners’ files so the next shift know what to expect.

Although the day is a stressful one, it gives the officers a strong sense of job satisfaction to know that they can be here for the prisoners and their families.

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