Prison officer
Supervise people who are in prison to ensure they are secure and looked after. Help them change their behaviour to improve their lives.
About the job
What it's like
You would supervise people who are in a prison, remand centre or young offenders' institution to make sure they are secure, safe and looked after.
You would be part of a team that would help the inmates change their behaviour so they can improve their lives when they leave.
Your exact duties would depend on the type of prison, its level of security and the age of the prisoners.
In general, you would:
Keep inmates secure
Assess prisoners
Carry out security checks and searches
Promote anti-bullying and suicide prevention policies
Supervise prisoners
Maintain order, sometimes using authorised physical control
Prepare inmates for release
Provide support to prisoners who are vulnerable
Take part in programmes to help prisoners understand their behaviour
Write reports on prisoners
With experience, you could take on extra duties such as training staff and managing a section of a prison.
You would need to have the confidence to cope with prisoners who may be abusive and possibly violent.
Hours
You would normally work 37 hours a week, which will usually include night and weekend shifts. There are also opportunities for part-time hours and job sharing.
Environment
You may need to be prepared to move to another part of the country for work. Although your work would mainly take place indoors, you would also have some duties outdoors, for example when patrolling the grounds or supervising recreation. This work can be emotionally and physically demanding.
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- mental health
- operational risk management
- de-escalation techniques
- incident management
- standard operating procedure
- security risk
- solar energy systems installation
- large goods vehicle
- safety management systems
- quality monitoring
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- observation
- building relationships
- cooperating
- listening
- attention to detail
- developing a plan
- mentoring
- reliable
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Care
Skills for Work: Uniformed and Emergency Services
Sociology
You'll need five National 5 qualifications including English and maths.
You would attend an assessment centre. The assessments include numerical and verbal reasoning tests, a formal interview and fitness testing.
Once in the role, you would complete an SVQ Level 3 in Custodial Care.
Qualifications that demonstrate understanding of protective services, physical and mental fitness and commitment to your community such as Skills for Work Uniformed and Emergency Services (SCQF level 4) or SQA Volunteering Skills Award (SCQF level 3-5).
You must be a UK National, a Commonwealth Citizen, a British Protected Person or a national of the European Economic Area
For some posts you must have been resident in the UK for at least three years
In Scotland, you must be aged 18 to 63 to apply
You need to be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme run by Disclosure Scotland
To pass pre-employment checks which include character and employer references and a medical examination
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