Prison governor
Prison governors manage prisons, remand centres and young offenders' institutions.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As a prison governor, you could:
- manage prison security, standards and budgets
- supervise prisoners and make inspections
- support vulnerable prisoners and those at risk of self-harm
- carry out disciplinary procedures
- manage and motivate prison staff
- update records and write reports
- develop the prison to meet government targets, like the control of drugs
- work with other professionals, such as medical staff, social workers and probation officers
Working environment
You could work in a prison.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could work in a higher security prison or join HM Inspectorate of Prisons.
You could also work in the national headquarters of HMPPS.
Another option is to work within prison service colleges or training units around the UK.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- business management skills
- leadership skills
- customer service skills
- the ability to use your initiative
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- knowledge of human resources and employment law
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
- pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults
- pass security checks
- be over 18 years of age
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- working towards this role
- a management training scheme
You may be able to start as a prison officer and work your way up with further training and experience. You'll need several years' experience, including line management.
You would generally move into senior management jobs and eventually deputy governorship roles, then governor.
Companies that run private prisons have their own entry requirements.
You can find details of prisons in England and Wales on GOV.UK.
You can apply to join the Future Prison Leaders Programme. This is a 3-year training scheme available from HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). Vacancies are advertised online and through social media when a recruitment campaign is taking place.
You’ll need a degree or equivalent level 6 qualification when you start on the programme, or people management experience.
Experience in management and excellent communication skills, as well as assertiveness and integrity, are important.
You can also apply through the Leadership Development Programme. This is a 2-year fast-track leadership development route available to graduates, who:
- meet the HMPPS eligibility criteria
- already have, or are expecting to get, an upper second class degree
- have GCSE grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths
- have the right to work in the UK for the length of the programme
You'll study for a postgraduate master's degree in Applied Custodial Leadership as part of the training.
You can find out more about working in prisons from HM Prison Service.
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This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.