prisons.co.ukA Guide to Working in a Prison
If you are looking at working in a prison then the chances are that you will either work for:
- The HM Prison Service (that manages public sector prisons).
- One of the companies that run contracted out prisons (i.e. prisons that are managed by the private sector).
- An organisation that offers services to prisons via personnel working in a prison.
There are a variety of jobs available in the prison sector for both men and women and there are various types of prison that you can work for including Young Offender’s institutions, public sector prisons and contracted out prisons. Some jobs will require specific training or qualifications, some will offer on the job training and some will not need any experience at all. Examples of common ways of working in a prison include:
- Prison Officers
- Training and Education Specialists (i.e. Teachers and Instructors)
- Healthcare specialists (i.e. nurses and doctors)
- Chaplaincy Representatives
- Psychologists
- Finance Specialists
- Administration and Support Staff
- Catering Staff
- Building Specialists
- Cleaning Personnel
In some cases working in a prison involves a full-time job (i.e. if you are working as a prison officer). In others you may only work in the prison part-time, you may work in a variety of institutions or you may only work in one periodically (i.e. if you are a Training specialist that runs courses in various institutions rather than being based in one prison).
Bear in mind that you may need specific checks before working in a prison in some roles. You may, for example, need to have a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check done before you will be accepted for a job in a prison.