Correctional officer careers at Correctional Service Canada

Correctional officers (COs) maintain the safety and security of federal institutions. They:

• supervise and interact with inmates
• monitor inmate movement and behaviour and record observations
• respond to security incidents and emergencies
• participate as a member of the interdisciplinary correctional team

Institutions operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. COs must be able to work shifts, flexible hours, weekends and statutory holidays. COs may be required to work overtime.

Duties

As a correctional officer, you will:

• conduct routine patrols and inmate counts
• supervise inmate movement and escort inmates both inside and outside the institution
• search cells, offenders, visitors, vehicles, living units, and surrounding areas
• conduct security checks and perform other duties as required
• verify safety equipment
• complete daily logs and submit various reports
• brief visitors, volunteers, and other criminal justice professionals who enter the institution
• provide first aid and/or CPR when required

Healing lodges are environments designed specifically for Indigenous offenders. They offer culturally appropriate services and programs to offenders in a way that incorporates Indigenous values, traditions and beliefs.

Duties

As a correctional officer II - Healing Lodge, you will:

• incorporate a healing component into the offender’s case management in collaboration with the Elder/Spiritual Advisor, and other members of the case management team
• have an understanding of the transitory aspects of Indigenous life
• assist offenders to follow their healing path/journey
• conduct escorts
• conduct routine rounds and offender counts
• search cells, offenders, visitors, vehicles, living units and surrounding areas
• brief visitors, volunteers and other criminal justice professionals who enter the institution

As a correctional officer II in a Healing Lodge, you can work at:

• Pê Sâkâstêw Centre
• Willow Cree Healing Lodge
• Kwìkwèxwelhp Healing Village

Healing Lodges operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Correctional officers (COs) must be able to work shifts, flexible hours, weekends and statutory holidays.  COs may need to work overtime.

Primary workers/kimisinaws are the first line of contact for women offenders and play a vital role within women's facilities. Their role is dual in nature as they perform security and case management-related duties. Not only do they maintain the safety and security of the institution, through the application of strong dynamic and static security but they also assist women offenders in achieving the objectives of their correctional plan; this in turn helps the women successfully reintegrate into the community.

They work as part of an interdisciplinary team composed of psychologists, behavioural counsellors, parole officers, and other interventionists. They contribute to the development of each woman offender's correctional plan and encourage the women to participate in reintegration and healing programs.

As a primary worker/kimisinaw, you can work at:

• Fraser Valley Institution
• Edmonton Institution for Women
• Grand Valley Institution for Women
• Joliette Institution for Women
• Nova Institution for Women
• Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge

Institutions operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Primary workers/kimisinaws must be able to work shifts, flexible hours, weekends and statutory holidays. Primary workers/kimisinaws may need to work overtime.

The following 5 principles of Creating Choices form the foundation of CSC's correctional approach for women: empowerment, meaningful and responsible choices, respect and dignity, supportive environment, and shared responsibility.

Duties

As a primary worker/kimisinaw, you will:

• manage an offender caseload, including preparing case management documents and reports
• assist offenders with self-management and encourage pro-social behaviour by being a positive role model
• conduct escorts
• conduct routine rounds and offender counts
• search cells, offenders, visitors, vehicles, living units and surrounding areas
• brief visitors, volunteers and other criminal justice professionals who enter the institution

Review this presentation to discover what you can expect as a primary worker/kimisinaw.

The SJT for assesses your judgement in solving work-related problems similar to those you may encounter when performing correctional officer duties.  Additional information on this assessment can be found in the Situational Judgement Test (SJT) Preparation Guide.

Pre-employment psychological assessments are reliable and valid predictors of personal suitability and job performance. Their objective is to evaluate specific personality characteristics that will ensure a candidate's suitability for correctional officer and primary worker/kimisinaw positions. Candidates will need to complete a questionnaire and then a structured clinical interview.

This assessment follows the standards of both the Canadian Psychological Association and American Psychological Association. Licensed clinical psychologists conduct the psychological assessments.

For correctional officer and primary worker/kimisinaw positions, you will be required to undergo a pre-placement medical assessment that will be administered to ensure that you meet the current standards for correctional officers in Canada. A physician designated by Health Canada completes an Occupational Health Assessment Report. This assessment evaluates your physical ability to perform the duties of a correctional officer or primary worker/kimisinaw. The designated physician’s decision determines if you are able to perform the physical duties of a correctional officer or primary worker/kimisinaw at a specific moment in time.  The physician’s decision is final, and results are valid for 1 year. Candidates who fail the medical assessment may reapply to the selection process at any time and will undergo a new medical assessment after the 1 year validity period has expired, unless Health Canada has specified a different validity period.   

This Category III assessment includes:

• a vision test: corrected vision 6/9 in better eye, 6/15 in other eye (6/9 and 6/15 are metric measurements (meters) and are equivalent to 20/30 and 20/50 in feet).
• a hearing test: average loss in better ear is no more than 25-decibel loss at a range between 500 and 3,000 hertz
• an evaluation of your physical ability to perform the duties of a correctional officer or primary worker/kimisinaw (you must be fit to use a respirator such as a gas mask or self-contained breathing apparatus)
• a review of your current and past medical and psychological conditions and their impact on your ability to perform essential operational duties (you may carry a firearm and be required to use deadly force as part of your duties).

Stage 1 is an online program, accessible via an external website, consisting of approximately 80 hours of learning within a 4 week period.  

Online learning activities allow recruits to become familiar with:

• CSC
• the correctional environment
• specific situations and challenges that a correctional officer or primary worker/kimisinaw would encounter on the job

If you successfully complete all steps of the assessment, including stage 1, you may be selected to participate in Stages 2 and 3 of  CTP based on CSC organizational and hiring needs. If selected, you will get a conditional offer of employment indicating where you will be working if you successfully complete stage three of CTP.

Stage 2 is an online program of about 40 hours of learning done in  3 to 4 weeks. This stage encompasses learning activities that prepare the recruits to effectively engage in the practical application and skill development components of Stage 3. Candidates must complete these learning activities virtually via the external website before attending the in-class portion at one of the CTP training locations.

Stage 3 is delivered at one of the designated training locations and is approximately 14 weeks in duration.

During this stage, the focus is on acquiring skills and putting into practice the knowledge acquired in the first two stages. Stage 3 emphasizes the development of judgment and assessment of the level of risk, to engage and intervene with offenders in the most effective and humane way possible. Much of Stage 3 is devoted to decision-based training (scenarios) in which trainers and/or recruits play different roles in simulation areas. The various scenarios are designed to replicate different situations that may occur in a correctional facility. The simulation areas resemble a real correctional environment as closely as possible.

A candidate’s personal suitability will also be assessed during CTP based on their demonstrated: 

• attitudes
• behaviours
• values and ethics
• core competencies
• demonstrating integrity and respect
• thinking things through
• working effectively with others
• showing initiative and being action oriented

Stage 3 includes a component on fitness, awareness of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. You will be required to participate in a fitness program on a regular basis while at CTP.  These include trainer guided sessions plus fitness training done on your own.  You will be required to do some type of physical training at least 5 times a week and for a minimum of 40 minutes each.  It is expected that at the end of CTP, you will be able to run 5 km.  If you feel that you should enhance your physical conditioning, it is your responsibility to start a physical activity program that will increase your fitness level prior to attending CTP.  We recommend a simple run/walk program.

During the third stage of the CTP, recruits receive an allowance* of $400/week, up to a maximum of $5,600 for 14 weeks. This allowance, paid bi-weekly, is in addition to the meals and lodging provided to recruits during stage 3. Administrative procedures for payment of the allowance are initiated upon arrival at the Training Academy.

*Individuals who receive a salary as a public servant are not eligible. Recruits who already receive a salary or financial compensation through another program while they participate in CTP are responsible to inform the parties concerned.

If you are an Indigenous candidate, you may be eligible for an allowance for your participation in the CTP Stage 3 through an Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Strategy (ISET). For more information on how to access training support dollars, please consult the Get the skills and training you need by finding your local Indigenous service delivery organization website.

Performs security and case management-related duties, working as part of an interdisciplinary team to encourage offender reintegration.

A correctional officer, who with the aid of a certified detector dog, assists in preventing the introduction and possession of contraband in CSC facilities through deterrence, searching and detection.

A correctional officer who purchases, maintains, controls and issues security equipment such as keys, locks, and restraints, and ensures the safe handling and storage of inflammatory and chemical agents, firearms, and ammunition.

Teaches correctional methods and related subjects to CSC staff (primarily newly recruited and established correctional officers as well as other trainers).

Supervises correctional operations within a federal correctional institution related to the care, custody, control, and reintegration of offenders while ensuring the protection of the public.

Manages information and intelligence as well as coordinates and conducts investigations relating to illicit activities, security threats and incidents within institutions, community correctional centres, and parole offices. 

Delivers correctional programs to offenders to help them address the risk factors that led to their criminal behaviour.

Contributes to the safety and security of the public, staff and offenders through the management and assessment of an offender's behaviour, accountability and potential risk to society in an institution and the community.