Prison officer
Prison officers supervise people who are in prisons, remand centres and young offenders' institutions.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As a prison officer, you could:
- keep prisoners secure and support those who are vulnerable
- carry out security checks and searches
- maintain order, sometimes using authorised physical control and restraint
- go with prisoners on external visits like court appearances
- prepare prisoners for release through rehabilitation programmes
- update records, write reports and promote anti-bullying and suicide prevention policies
Working environment
You could work in a prison.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Career path and progression
With experience you could:
- train and move into specialist projects like rehabilitation work with groups of prisoners and their families
- become a supervising officer or custodial manager, or head of function, like prison security or reoffending reduction
- move up to become a deputy governor or prison governor
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- knowledge of public safety and security
- 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
- to be flexible and open to change
- leadership skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
- pass enhanced background checks
- be over 18 years of age
- pass a medical check
How to become
You can get into this job through an apprenticeship or by applying directly.
You could apply to do a Custody and Detention Professional Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
To do this apprenticeship, you'll need:
- GCSEs grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, in English and maths
More Information
You could apply directly to be a prison officer. You do not need qualifications as personal qualities are more important in this role.
You'll need to take an online test to check your judgement and number skills.
If you pass, you'll attend an assessment day where you'll be tested on your:
- number, reading and writing skills
- fitness
- health, hearing and eyesight
You'll also have an interview and take part in role play to see if you have the right personal qualities to be a prison officer.
Career tips
You can do the HM Prison and Probation Service online career matching tool to see whether a career as a prison officer is right for you.
Further information
You can find out more about how to become a prison officer from HM Prison and Probation Service.
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This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.