A corrections officer is responsible for the care and safety of prisoners and the management of a correctional facility. They require training and excellent communication skills. They may also serve as motivators, counselors, and liaisons. The job requires maintaining security and order, conducting searches, and assessing inmate behavior. Some may stereotype corrections officers as sadistic, but many are interested in helping prisoners. The job requires compassion, efficiency, and honesty.
A corrections officer, also known as a corrections officer or director, is a person charged with the care and safety of prisoners and the safe management of a correctional facility. Corrections officers may have a variety of different jobs within a particular system, but they tend to work together to form a cohesive unit of authority. Becoming a corrections officer requires considerable training in many regions and may have specific prerequisites.
Often placed in supervisory roles, a corrections officer needs to have excellent communication and people skills. To maintain order, guards must try to keep prisoners calm and peaceful, but at the same time maintain the authority of the system. All aspects of a prisoner’s life can be in the hands of corrections officers, from rehabilitation efforts to health care.
In regions where rehabilitation is an important component of prison objectives, officers can serve as motivators and counselors for prisoners. Some seek employment to try to help people gain the tools and awareness to live a cool life in the future. Often asked to play the role of therapist or social worker, a corrections officer must keep an eye on prisoners for signs of suicidal depression, growing hostility or other problems.
Security and order maintenance are naturally very large parts of a corrections officer’s job. Trained in weapons and self-defense, prison guards can still occasionally find their own lives in danger if a prisoner tries to escape, starts a riot, or simply enacts violence. Guards are responsible for transporting prisoners to and from court dates, work duties, and permits. They must also conduct frequent searches to keep contraband items, such as weapons or drugs, away from prisoners.
In some cases, correctional officers serve as liaisons to social workers, lawyers and prisoners’ families. They are usually in the best position to assess inmate behavior as they work with inmates on a daily, consistent basis. Many are trained in providing effective judicial reporting, which can be used to report rule infractions and violent incidents, but can also be used to assess an inmate’s status in relation to possible parole or early release.
Some people stereotype correctional officers as sadistic thugs who enjoy having power over others. While some experts suggest that some guards might actually fit that description, many are far more interested in helping prisoners than claiming power. At its heart, the job of a corrections officer requires a person to put themselves in danger and work with people on a daily basis that most would dread being around. By carrying out tasks with compassion, efficiency and honesty, a corrections officer can be the very model of a humanitarian, even if he sometimes has to resort to disciplinary tactics.
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