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:
Speak to your guidance counsellor to see if there are other courses offered at your school which could help you prepare for this career.
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.
Many former prisons are now tourist attractions! Prisons in Alcatraz, Kingston, and Trois-Rivières are all open to the public.
