Careers in justice > Correctional officer

Profession at a glance

Correctional officers stand on guard in detention centres making sure that the people serving their sentences there (sometimes called “offenders”) are safe, follow the rules and stay on track. Much more than just a prison guard, a correctional officer must also relate well to all kinds of people and give good advice. They play a key role in helping an offender make the transition to life back in the community after serving time. In this way, correctional officers help to make an offender’s move back to everyday life a smooth one.

To learn more about a correctional officer’s work, click through the above tabs.

Job description

A correctional officer’s work involves four main types of activities: guarding the detention centre, maintaining order in the detention centre, helping offenders to return to the community, and working with offenders in the community.

Guarding the detention centre

An important aspect of a correctional officer’s work is making sure that offenders don’t escape from a detention centre. There would be no point in having a detention centre if offenders could come and go as they please. To carry out this task, correctional officers keep an eye on what goes on and make sure that security systems are working properly. Supervising offenders in order to prevent disturbances, rioting and escapes is an important part of their job. They also carry out routine searches to make sure nothing slips by unnoticed.

To do this, correctional officers must have excellent observational skills so they can detect suspicious behaviour, or stop dangerous or forbidden objects from making their way through the detention center’s gates.

Maintaining order in the detention centre

Correctional officers also work to make sure that things run as they should within the detention centre and that offenders are safe. To prevent fighting or unruly behaviour, correctional officers strictly enforce the detention center’s rules. It is also their responsibility to escort offenders to and from the detention center and give them first aid treatment.

Helping offenders to return to the community

A correctional officer’s job is not all law and order las you might imagine. An equally important part of their job is working with offenders in detention centers to help them prepare for life back in the community. Correctional officers write reports about the behaviour of offenders who are serving a sentence of six months or less. They evaluate offenders' progress and work with other professionals at the detention centre (doctors, probation officers, counsellors etc.) to develop a plan for an offender’s return to the community.

Working with offenders in the community

Some offenders get to serve their sentence in the community rather than in a detention center. These offenders must still follow certain rules. For example, offenders under house arrest may only be allowed to leave their houses for certain activities like getting groceries or going to work. They may also have to do community service.

Correctional officers help offenders follow the rules related to their sentence. They call or visit offenders on regular basis to make sure they are respecting the law, abiding by curfews and showing up for community service.

Some offenders are allowed to leave the detention centre on “day parole.” The correctional officer assigned to these offenders will sometimes coordinate with probation officers. Probation officers also supervise offenders serving part or all of their sentence in the community.

Where do correctional officers work?

Correctional officers work in detention centers, which are run by either the federal or the provincial government. Federal centers are called penitentiaries, while provincial centres are called jails, correctional centers, or detention centers.

Correctional officers also work in probation offices, to help offenders serving part of their sentence in the community.

Training

To become a correctional officer, you must complete at least two years of social studies after high school. Although taking specialized courses about correctional services in CÉGEP is not required, it is an asset for the job.

You could consider taking a college diploma (a DEC) in Youth and Adult Correctional Intervention (techniques d'intervention en délinquance, in French). John Abbott College offers this program in English. For more information on this specialty visit the Inforoute FPT website.

Seven CÉGEPS offer this diploma in French. A list of professional training centers and other institutions that offer this speciality in French is also available on the Inforoute FPT website.

You could alternatively consider an attestation of collegial studies (an ACS) in Techniques d’intervention en milieu carcéral or Techniques spécialisées en services correctionnels (offered only in French at a few CÉGEPs). For more information, visit the Inforoute FPT website.

If you are interested in working in a federal penitentiary, you must also successfully complete a training course given by the Correctional Service of Canada. If you choose to work in a provincial detention center, you will receive additional training from your employer.

Sometimes the work of a correctional officer is physically demanding, so you will have to pass a medical exam similar to the one given to people applying to become police officers.

You cannot become a correctional officer if you have been found guilty of a crime, although certain exceptions apply.

To learn more about the job prospects (salary, rate of growth in the profession, etc.) of correctional officers, visit the Job Futures website.

Useful High School Courses

The following courses could help you prepare for a future as a correctional officer:

Physical Education and Health
Mathematics
History and Citizenship Education
French as a Second Language
English Language Arts

Speak to your guidance counsellor to see if there are other courses offered at your school which could help you prepare for this career.

Are you right for the job?

Thinking of becoming a correctional officer? Check out this list of skills and learn how to develop them to help you in this job.

Emotional control

As a correctional officer you will undoubtedly find yourself in challenging situations that are sometimes difficult to manage. But no matter what is unfolding, you have to be calm and keep your wits about you. This isn’t a profession for the faint of heart!

You have what you need to succeed if:

You don’t react violently when provoked.
You maintain your concentration in stressful situations, like when you are studying the night before an exam.
You help other people resolve conflicts without getting emotional.

To develop these skills, you can:

Learn stress management techniques, like taking deep breaths.
Get in the habit of telling your problems to a friend rather than bottling up your frustrations.
Practice a martial art, yoga, or any sport that helps you get rid of stress.

Ability to interact with others

A correctional officer must earn the confidence and respect of offenders so that he can help them re-enter the community. He has to be able to relate to many different people including his colleagues and the offenders he works with.

You have what you need to succeed if:

You know how to make friends easily.
You adapt quickly to people from different cultures, backgrounds, and ages.

You are able to negotiate with friends in order to solve problems.

To develop these skills, you can:

Become a youth mediator in order to help other kids in your school resolve their differences.
Get in the habit of introducing yourself first to people you don’t know and start conversations with them.

Firmness

A correctional officer must be determined and firm when he discovers that a rule has been broken and action is needed. He must enforce the detention center rules, without abusing his power.

You have what you need to succeed if:

You can defend a very controversial position during a discussion, even if all your friends disagree with you.
You are clear with your feelings when you are not happy with certain situations, like when someone shows up late for a meeting.
You know how to keep control of the situation and be firm about the rules when you are babysitting.

To develop these skills, you can:

Work with children as an assistant coach or become the referee of a sport.
Get in the habit of staying firm in your decisions and ideas.
Establish a budget for the next year and stick to it despite the temptation to spend, with a goal of saving instead and buying something you really want.

Respect for the Rules

A correctional officer has to follow the rules and apply them, even if he sometimes disagrees. His job is to keep order in what can at times be a chaotic place to work.

You have what you need to succeed if:

You always arrive on time for appointments and classes.
You respect the rules when you are playing a game and don’t cheat.
You are disciplined when it’s time to study and you don’t waste time.

To develop these skills, you can:

Register for an activity that requires you to be disciplined and follow certain rules, such as joining a sports team.
Always read and understand the directions your teachers give you before starting your work.
Find a recipe for your favourite food and follow the directions for making it.

Did you know?

Many former prisons are now tourist attractions! Prisons in Alcatraz, Kingston, and Trois-Rivières are all open to the public.
The storming of Bastille (a famous prison), on July 14, 1789, marked the beginning of the French Revolution.
In Canada, the first women’s prison opened in Kingston, Ontario in 1934.