Prison Officer

Also known as:

Warder - Prison
Custody Officer

Introduction

Most Scottish prisons are run by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS). Prison officers keep inmates in secure custody. They help with rehabilitation, so that prisoners can return to a law-abiding life. Officers work in different types of prisons. They all undertake security work. In Scotland you must be between 18 and 63 to apply.

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Work Activities

Prison officers have three main priorities: the secure detention of offenders, their rehabilitation and their eventual return to law-abiding life in the community.

Officers work in a variety of institutions, from detention centres for young offenders to high security closed prisons for long-term criminals.

The Scottish Prison Service operate eight prisons. Most female prisoners are in Cornton Vale prison although one or two of the other prisons have a small female contingent. Female officers can serve in male prisons and vice versa. There is only one private prison, in Kilmarnock, operated under contract to the Scottish Prison Service.

Whatever the type of prison, officers have security duties, including:
• supervising prisoners in cells, at work and in recreation areas
• supervising visits from prisoners' families
• searching cells or individuals
• patrolling buildings and grounds
• monitoring security systems.

Some officers may have special training in dog handling or electronic security techniques. Others are concerned with receiving new inmates, issuing clothing, completing paperwork, and liaising with medical and welfare staff.

In prisons and remand centres where offenders are awaiting sentence, prison officers might help assess prisoners, to decide the type of prison to which they should be sent.

Prison officers who have suitable qualifications, often in a trade, might be able to apply for a teaching post.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

You must be able to get on with a wide range of people. You need to be confident, firm and able to act with authority when necessary. You should be able to demonstrate understanding and a commitment to the rehabilitation of offenders. You need good spoken and written communication skills.

As a prison officer you might need to act quickly and must keep calm during a crisis. Good judgement is important, as are decision-making and initiative. You should be able to work as part of a team.

You need to be fit and active to do this job. A sense of humour can be useful.

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Pay and Opportunities

Prison officers in the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) are paid on a rising scale.

The starting salary for a prison officer recruit is £15,249 a year, rising to £20,295 a year after 3 or 4 years service. Senior officers can earn up to about £30,000, and principal officers earn around £32,000 - £32,500 a year.

Prison officers in Scotland work a 37-hour week, usually on shifts including evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays.

The Scottish Prison Service employs some 4,000 staff in its 15 prisons.

There is a set promotion structure. You start as an operations officer and progress to become a residential or regimes officer. With experience and further training you might be able to progress further.

HMP Kilmarnock is run by a private firm, not the SPS. Salaries and conditions might vary.

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Adult Opportunities

Age limits apply to this occupation. For entry to the Scottish Prison Service you should be between 18 and 63. All entrants go through the normal selection procedure of aptitude and medical tests.

Some entrants have skills and abilities gained in a related occupation, for example, as a security guard or a detention officer.

Some further education colleges run courses for those who want to prepare for entry to the uniformed services. These courses do not guarantee a post with the prison service, but help you prepare for the selection procedure.

ICS runs a Prison Service Entrance Course (a preparatory course for the written entrance exam) by distance learning.

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