Looking to apply for one of our Prison Officer jobs at Serco? We want you to have a realistic view of what it’s like to be a Prison Officer on the ground in one of our UK custodial establishments. Discover more below!
Make no mistake, this is a role where your contribution counts - helping to give people in prison structure within their lives, being a role model to encourage positive choices, and ensuring that they're supported during their rehabilitation journey. When you're on duty you'll act as mentor and will assure the safety, security and decency of prisoners and perform a pivotal role within the prison and the community it serves.
Supervising prisoners in all aspects of wing-based activity
Encouraging prisoners to go to work or complete the jobs they have within the prison
Attending additional education classes
Serving food and effectively managing people at risk of self-harm
Operational matters such as headcounts, searching, supervision and security together with administrative processes must all be effectively delivered.
Every prisoner reacts differently and you'll see a full range of emotions from; apathy, anger, remorse or trauma. For the person in prison it can be one of the most stressful situations they'll ever encounter, but for you it’s an everyday part of your job.
The service that we provide is available every day of the year across a 24-hour period, meaning you'll cover various shift patterns, including days, evenings, weekends, nights and bank holidays with an average of 40 hours per week.
Our public sector ethos is to pursue a compassionate, rehabilitative approach to reduce the demand on the custodial system and to successfully integrate those in our care back into the community. All of our prisons are Category B or C establishments.
Category B prisons are either local or training prisons. Local prisons house prisoners that are taken directly from court in the local area (sentenced or on remand), and training prisons hold long-term and high-security prisoners.
Category C prisons are training and resettlement prisons; most prisoners are located in a category C. They provide prisoners with the opportunity to develop their own skills so they can find work and resettle back into the community on release.
Select apply to start your journey to become a Prison Officer.
HMP Ashfield is a category C adult male facility near Bristol that holds 400 convicted prisoners serving sentences for sexual offences. We have been responsible for operating the prison since 2005 and today we employ around 200 colleagues on site. Our primary purpose at HMP Ashfield is to rehabilitate prisoners convicted of sexual offences in a safe, decent and healthy environment.
HMP Doncaster is a category B resettlement prison situated in South Yorkshire and houses a male population of up to 1,145 individuals. As a local remand institution, the purpose is to work with the prisoners, particularly those serving less than a 12-month sentence, to ensure that they have the support they need for resettlement as well as access to the services and support available to them after release.
HMP Dovegate is a Category B adult male facility near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, where we house up to 1,060 male adult prisoners over the age of 21 serving a range of sentences. HMP Dovegate runs a Therapeutic Community which is the UK’s only privately-owned, purpose-built facility providing an environment that changes people’s way of thinking with the shared aim of changing lives for the better.
HMP Fosse Way is a brand-new resettlement prison in Leicester, housing around 1,700 prisoners who have served most of their sentences and are due for release in the area. The purpose of the prison is to offer support and training so that the people in prison are prepared for a successful reintegration into society with meaningful and paid employment.
HMP Thameside is a local resettlement prison in the Thamesmead area of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, South-East London, and is situated next to HMP Belmarsh. HMP Thameside is London’s only private prison. A new-build prison, successfully completed in 2012, we have run the facility since it opened. The prison quickly and safely responds to the needs of the custodial population within the heart of London.
Prison Officer
Lee Norton
Working as a Prison Officer isn't always easy - but it is rewarding. While you're ensuring the safety of those around you, we'll be providing you with the accredited training and development you'll need for a long, successful, and interesting career within Serco. And as well as supportive colleagues we also offer a competitive salary and benefits package too.
Prison Officers are key to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of prisoners, staff and visitors in their prisons. More importantly they play a vital role in reducing reoffending rates among people in prison, which is key to protecting public finances. They do this through encouraging educational and vocational development and through an empathetic approach.
Our prisons hold a huge amount of variety and opportunity, with Prison Officers being able to progress into Operations Management or into specialist services such as Psychology, Education, Health or the Animal unit. There are also opportunities within our Prisoner Escorting Service and Immigration Centres - and of course our other prisons.
Because of our investment in safeguarding and rehabilitation, our prisons are calmer and can be very different to public prisons. You’ll also receive all the training and advice you’ll need from your friendly and supportive colleagues with job shadowing and buddy programmes in place.
There is a clear salary structure in place to reward you as you grow and develop in to the role, meaning that you'll get receive salary increases after 1, 2 and 3 years’ service.
As well as a clear salary structure and career progression, we offer you a holiday entitlement of 23 days plus bank holidays, with your holiday entitlement rising after 1 and 2 years in service, up to 6% contributory pension scheme, and Life Assurance. Alongside Serco discounts which include cinema, merlin entertainment, online shopping discounts, discounts on mobile phone plans and leisure centre memberships.
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