A correctional
office or prison guard is the person responsible for supervising correctional
facilities or prisons. Corrections officers must ensure that the environment is
suitable for human life, and safe for all prisoners within the correctional
center. A prison guard’s role is thus essential to the well being of our legal
system; without the enforcing abilities of corrections officers prisons would
run improperly and not aid in the rehabilitation of wrongdoers.
A correctional officer is responsible for the custody, care, and control
of individuals who are awaiting trial or have been arrested. In essence, anyone
who serves time in jail or is held in a cell will be supervised by a prison
guard or correctional officer. In addition, the team is also responsible for
the safety and the security of the facility–without a team of corrections
officers the prisoners would be under no control, and free to not only harm
each other, but vandalize the actual structure of the facility. Most
correctional officers are employed by the government of the country in which
they work, though a small percentage are also employed by private companies.
Although the
duties of a correctional officer can vary, the general role of the prison guard
includes the various actions:
·
A prison guard maintains
order and discipline within the correctional facility.
·
The prison guard enforces rules,
regulations, and applicable legislation to maintain a suitable environment.
·
A correctional officer conducts
routine searches of inmates to expel any contraband or weaponry that may be
present.
·
The prison guard is responsible
for transporting inmates to courts and other correctional facilities.
·
In response of an assault, a fire,
medical emergency, or a riot the prison guard is responsible for maintaining order and providing first response action.
