Vigilant guards: how modern prison guards work

For the film, see The Prison Warden (film).

Overseer

(US, Canada) or
governor
(UK, Australia), also known as
superintendent
(US, South Asia) or
director
(UK, New Zealand), is the official who is in charge of prisons.

Who are the wardens

Jailers or prison guards are correctional officers who supervise prisoners. These employees ensure security in places of detention. They monitor the behavior of prisoners, their compliance with rules and order.

During the Soviet Union, supervisors were officially called controllers. Today, the functions of these employees are performed by inspectors of security departments.

Skills and interests[edit]

Prison officers must:

• be able to work well with a variety of other people
• have good written and oral communication skills
• care for the welfare of prisoners and be sympathetic to their problems
• be confident and able to lead both staff and prisoners
• be able to handle pressure and enforce discipline
• be able to cope with difficult situations and emergencies such as prison gang violence

What are the responsibilities of a prison guard?

Working in prison is not easy. Let's look at the main tasks of a prison guard:

• riot prevention;
• control over prisoners;
• prevention of legal violations;
• recording of committed offenses.

The duties of the warden include monitoring the prisoners when they are in their cells, on walks, in the dining room, while doing work, etc. It is the wardens who control the discipline among prisoners, their compliance with established procedures, keep records of their activities and instruct the performance of compulsory work.

If necessary, guards conduct searches of prisoners. This may be necessary to ensure that the prisoner does not have any prohibited items.

Prisoners move around the prison grounds under the escort of guards. In addition, guards accompany visitors to the correctional facility, monitoring the condition of cells and other premises, as well as compliance with safety requirements.

To successfully cope with responsibilities, a supervisor must:

• have basic legal knowledge;
• master professional terminology;
• know the principles of security work and the functioning system of prisons.

In addition, the warden must be in good physical shape and not have mental disabilities. If necessary, a prison officer must be able to subdue a prisoner who has violated internal regulations. In addition, it is the guards who often have to break up fighting inmates.

Mental toughness is required to remain calm in stressful situations. Often prisoners try to provoke prison officials, and therefore a calm reaction to such irritants is extremely important.

When communicating with prisoners, the warden must be guided by the internal regulations of the prison and the order of the Federal Penitentiary Service. The Code of Conduct and Ethics must be followed even in cases where prisoners deliberately try to provoke a prison officer into conflict.

According to the supervisors themselves, their work is no longer physically difficult, but psychologically. When working in a prison, it is necessary to remain constantly vigilant in order to respond to a conflict in a timely manner. And it is extremely difficult to be on guard all the time.

Responsibilities[edit]

The prison warden controls all operations in the prison. Prisons vary in size, with some housing thousands of inmates. They are responsible for the security of the prison, the work of the prison staff (including prison officers, prison doctors, janitors, cooks and others), the management of its facilities, the maintenance of the premises and the welfare of prisoners. In practice, day-to-day security management is usually delegated to the head of security, who will be an assistant or subordinate to the head of security.

A warden's normal job may include overseeing security, conducting inspections, carrying out disciplinary procedures, writing reports, managing admissions and liaising with other professional staff who visit the prison, such as medical staff, probation officers and social workers. Wardens are sometimes members of parole boards. They may also train staff to work in the prison service.

The nature of the work depends on the size and type of prison. The level of security a prison requires ranges from open prisons to maximum security or maximum security prisons.

About working conditions

The working conditions of a prison guard depend on the specific correctional institution. In some prisons, the premises are well ventilated and heated. However, repairs have not been made in all ICs. Some prisons still maintain conditions that existed during Soviet times. There is no proper ventilation here, the cells are overcrowded, which is why the rooms have an unpleasant smell and are very noisy.

Prison officers may have one of the following titles:

1. Corpus. They work indoors, monitoring prisoners, taking them for walks and monitoring order in the cells.
2. Conclusions. Conduct external surveillance of the territory of the correctional institution. For example, they are on a security tower, monitoring the movement of prisoners around the yard. These employees must remain on watch in all weather conditions. Some prisons have security cameras installed to make it easier for guards.

The main working tools of a warden include:

• camera keys;
• a belt with special equipment (handcuffs, rubber truncheon, gas spray);
• radio transmitter

Wardens wear a uniform consisting of dark trousers, a shirt and a jacket. Prison employees work in shifts. Shifts can last 12 or 24 hours - it all depends on the regulations of the correctional institution. On weekends or holidays, some guards always go to work.

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Name [edit]

In the United States and Canada, caretaker

is the most common title for the official in charge of a prison or prison.
In some US states, the position may also be called superintendent
. Some small county jails may be run by a local sheriff or undersheriff.

In the UK and Australia this position is known as Governor

.
In New Zealand and UK private prisons, the position is known as director
.

In India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka the English title is prison warden

or just
a supervisor
. The exact name depends on the type of prison.

Disadvantages of the profession

Being among prisoners for a long time has a certain impact on guards. After a while, they begin to degrade, which mostly affects their family and friends. Prison employees eventually begin to talk like prisoners, adopt their habits and listen to the same music. In addition, many of them bring the harshness of work into family life.

Also, the disadvantages of such work include working conditions. The fact is that prisons are often located far from civilization. Accordingly, many supervisors have to go without seeing their loved ones for a long time or have to move their family closer to their place of work. The latter is associated with a certain discomfort - problems often arise with finding a job for the spouse, as well as obtaining a quality education for the children.

A prison is a closed ecosystem with specific traditions and culture. Therefore, employees often adopt the habits of prisoners. For example, they begin to use prison slang in everyday life. The most commonly used words are “malyava” (note), “chifir” (a special prison drink), etc.

Salary and benefits

Considering all the above-mentioned features of the profession, one might get the impression that no one would want to be a prison guard. However, there are not so few people willing to get such a position. And the reason for this is the profession's bonuses and salary.

Naturally, by the capital’s standards, the warden’s salary is not exorbitant. But for the regions this is not bad money, and besides, the choice of work here is small. An added bonus is stability and some privileges.

A beginner employee receives about 15 thousand rubles, while an officer with experience can count on a salary of about 36 thousand. And this is just a “naked” bet. And if you add to it all kinds of allowances for length of service, rank, special working conditions, etc., then the total amount can reach 45-50 thousand.

In addition, if a FSIN employee does not have his own housing, he will be put on a waiting list to receive housing. If the employee comes from another region, he will be given money to rent an apartment. Beginning employees are paid about 70 thousand “lifting” rubles. Young specialists who started working immediately after graduating from university are paid the same amount. Subsequently, prison guards can apply for a “military pension”.

The benefit of working in the criminal executive authorities is that every year there is one and a half years. Accordingly, you can reach the minimum long-service pension at 33 years of age. At the age of 60, an old-age pension is added to it. When an employee reaches retirement age, he may qualify for financial assistance. Its size is 7 standard salaries.

Wardens also receive free treatment in departmental hospitals, visit sanatoriums, and places are allocated for their children in health camps. They also apply for guaranteed places in kindergartens and schools, where children of FSIN employees are educated on preferential terms.

The guards are applying for longer leave. For young employees it is 30 days a year, and for supervisors with experience - 45 days. In addition, guards can receive higher education for free at universities of the Federal Penitentiary Service, undergo postgraduate training, and doctoral studies.

If we talk about a career, then here too the prison guard has very good prospects. Thus, career growth can occur within the structure of the Federal Penitentiary Service. Can also work in a university or the central office of the Federal Penitentiary Service. Some employees manage to rise to the rank of prison commander. Moreover, in leadership positions, citizens receive decent salaries.

Often, after retirement, prison guards go to work in the security services. Moreover, here they are highly valued, because they have experience in analyzing practical situations.

By country[edit]

India[edit]

Prisons in India are run by the Provincial Prison Service. Each jail or prison is run by a superintendent

. The exact name varies by prison and state. The superintendent is usually assisted by a deputy superintendent and one or more assistants.

United Kingdom [edit]

There are currently 139 operating prisons in England and Wales, 16 in Scotland and three in Northern Ireland. There are three separate prison services, covering England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The manager of a prison is known as a warden

.
The exception is a number of private or contract prisons, which are instead managed by a director
.
The director is assisted by a controller
appointed by the Ministry of Justice.

Entry and training vary among these services. Prospective governors will need to undergo medical, vision and physical fitness tests, be a British or EU citizen and be willing to travel if necessary. Each company that operates private prison facilities has its own entry requirements and hiring practices. Admission to the post of governor is carried out on a competitive basis, regardless of which way. In England and Wales, graduate vacancies are advertised annually (usually in October) in the national press. Opportunities for direct entry into Scotland are advertised in both the Scottish and national press.

In England and Wales there are two main routes to becoming a prison governor. The first is the promotion of existing staff through the ranks (for example, from a prison officer or from other management positions). The second way is through the Prison Service Intensive Development Program (IDS). This path is only open to those with an advanced degree, with preference given to candidates with relevant experience in the armed forces or police. The upper age limit for taking up the post of prison governor is 57 years. With this scheme, it is possible to reach senior management positions in less than five years, rather than the usual average of twenty years.

There are two ways to get to Scotland. This again is through promotion from prison officer or direct entry. Direct entry candidates typically require an advanced degree and significant management experience.

How to become a prison guard

To obtain such a position, you must undergo training at a specialized university. At the moment, such educational institutions operate in Vologda, Vladimir, Ryazan, Samara, Pskov, Voronezh, Perm, Vologda. Moreover, each university has its own specialization. For example, in Vladimir and Ryazan you can get training to work with special forces in colonies and prisons.

Education at universities is free and financed from the federal budget. However, becoming a student is not easy. To do this, you will have to take a referral from the territorial office of the Federal Penitentiary Service located at the applicant’s place of residence, undergo a preliminary interview, pass physical training standards, and also pass a military medical commission.

The profession of a prison guard is considered a purely masculine one. Therefore, it will be extremely difficult for a woman to receive a referral from the local FSIN authority. Also, people with speech, vision and hearing impairments, nervous system disorders, chronic allergic and infectious diseases will not be accepted for service. In addition, a previously convicted citizen will not be able to obtain such a position.