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 An official is someone who holds an office (function or Mandate (politics), mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual Office, working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (eithe ...

responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of

prisoner A prisoner, also known as an inmate or detainee, is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...

Terms for the role

Historically, terms such as " jailer" (also spelled " gaoler"), "guard" and "warder" have all been used. The term "prison officer" is used for the role in the UK and Ireland. It is the official English title in Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Poland. The term "corrections officer" or "correction officer" is used in the U.S. and New Zealand. 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". Brazil has a similar system to New Jersey, but the officers are known as "state penal police agent" or "federal penal police agent". "Correctional officer" is used in Australia, Canada, Jamaica, and the U.S. In

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, 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. "Detention officer" is used in the U.S., as is the term "penal officer". The official who is in charge of a specific prison is known by various titles, including: "

prison warden The warden ( US, Canada) or governor ( UK, Australia), also known as a superintendent (US, South Asia) or director (UK, New Zealand), is the official who is in charge of a prison. Name In the United States, Mexico, and Canada, warden is the m ...

" (US and Canada), "governor" (UK and Australia), "superintendent" (South Asia) or "director" (New Zealand), respectively "Direktor" or "Gefängnisdirektor" (Germany).

Duties

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. 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

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

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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 Handcuffs are Physical restraint, restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a Link chain, chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm whi ...

, leg-irons, belly-chains, etc.) * Weapons (

firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

s, taser,

pepper spray Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, mace, or capsicum spray is a Tear gas, lachrymator (tear gas) product containing as its active ingredient the chemical compound capsaicin, which irritates the eyes with burning ...

, baton, etc.) *

Self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...

First aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive. First aid is gener ...

and CPR *

Report A report is a document or a statement that presents information in an organized format for a specific audience and purpose. Although summaries of reports may be delivered orally, complete reports are usually given in the form of written documen ...

writing * Giving

testimony Testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. Etymology The words "testimony" and "testify" both derive from the Latin word ''testis'', referring to the notion of a disinterested third-party witness. Law In the law, testimon ...

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

* Defusing

hostility Hostility is seen as a form of emotionally charged aggressive behavior. In everyday speech, it is more commonly used as a synonym for anger and aggression. It appears in several psychological theories. For instance it is a Facet (psychology), f ...

* Interpersonal communication * Correction law * Criminal law * Criminal procedure law * Case work and criminal investigations * Hostage negotiation * Gang intelligence * Cross gender supervision Many jurisdictions have also, in recent years, expanded basic training to include: * Suicide prevention/crisis intervention * Mental health awareness * 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 * Drug abuse training * Rehabilitation programs * Rapid response training * Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) * Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) * Staff wellness

Specialised units

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

References

External links

* {{Authority control Law enforcement occupations