If you have ever thought that you would like to be a prison officer, it is necessary that before deciding or entering the oppositions that lead you to that job, you know what it consists of and what you would have to do in your job every day of your life. CAs in any other job, for it to be really worth it, you must have a certain vocation that allows you to enjoy your daily work.
The person who is dedicated to being a prison official will be a member of the Corps of Penitentiary Institutions assistants that is accessed through competitive examinations of the General State Administration. These oppositions can be accessed by having the title of Baccalaureate or Professional Training Technician. It will be possible to work in penitentiary centers with the commitment to ensure the safety, rehabilitation and reintegration of the prisoners who are there.
The squares
If you are interested in this job and want to know when the call for vacancies is, you will have to consult the Official State Gazette (BOE). You can do it quickly and easily in your websites. There are also pages specialized in competitive examinations that also inform about the positions and the competitions that will come out.
The competitions are eliminatory and consist of three parts:
- The first part consists of two tests. The first test evaluates the aptitude of the opponent to practice the profession and the second test is about 150 questions about the content of the syllabus that must be studied before presenting.
- The second part consists of answering 10 practical cases with related questions and with multiple answers (of the content of the syllabus).
- The third test is a medical aptitude to verify that they pass all the necessary characteristics (indicated in each call so that people can decide beforehand whether or not they meet these requirements).
When the oppositions are approved, they will participate in a selective training course so that internships can be carried out in penitentiary centers exercising functions of the job.
What is
Prison officers do not wander the hallways with electric batons like they do in the movies. In fact, if weapons are needed they must request them (for example, in the case of a riot). You must have a good handling of emotional stress situations and you have to be quick to be able to solve problems that may arise. There are three specific areas of work: surveillance area, offices and mixed area.
In the area, the security guard will have to control the movements of all inmates and maintain order in the place. There are areas for education and rehabilitation of prisoners and the civil servants must collaborate with the teams of professionals who work with the prisoners on a daily basis. Internal security is essential. LSecurity is carried out through counts, records, controls, cell changes, control activities, observation of the behavior of inmates, etc.
The work of the offices consists of carrying out bureaucratic tasks without being in contact with the inmates. Data, cases, legal provisions, etc. can be managed. Medical programs are controlled, if other specialists are needed or required for the prison center such as an educator or social work. Special situations such as inmates who are pregnant or have children are also coordinated. They process the entrances and the exits of prison, they take care of the complaints or the resources, the communications, the visits, the orders, the mail, etc.
In the mixed area of work within the penitentiary center, the aim is to carry out tasks of surveillance and control of the prisoners and also bureaucratic tasks. It consists of combining the two previous points in the functions of the official.
In the three areas they may have different positions or positions, such as being head of services, coordinator, team leader, watchman, security, etc.
If you are interested in this type of work, you will only have to find out about the next calls and prepare the agenda for the oppositions. You can have a good job if it is what you like, with good working conditions and also be able to get up every morning knowing that you will go to a job that you like and that fulfills you both professionally and personally. If this is what you would like to do, what are you waiting for?