Correctional services manager

Description

Correctional services managers manage the operations of a correctional facility. They supervise personnel, develop and oversee correctional procedures, and ensure the operation is compliant with legal regulations. They perform administrative duties and facilitate cooperation with external institutions and staff providing aid to the facility.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to correctional services manager:

chief prison officer
correctional institution director
senior superintendent jail
superintendent jail
prison governor
chief detention officer
superintendent of jail
senior superintendent of jail

Minimum qualifications

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as correctional services manager. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Correctional services manager is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Correctional services manager career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to correctional services manager.

police commissioner
army general
court administrator
intelligence officer
brigadier

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of correctional services manager. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of correctional services manager with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of correctional services manager.

Law enforcement: The different organisations involved in law enforcement, as well as the laws and regulations in law enforcement procedures.
Legal use-of-force: The characteristics of the use-of-force, which is a legal doctrine employed by police and army forces, to regulate acts of violence during interventions. Use-of-force is ought to balance security needs with ethical concerns for the rights and well-being of intruders or suspects.
Correctional procedures: Tthe legal regulations and policies concerning the operations of correctional facilities, and other correctional procedures.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of correctional services manager.

Supervise correctional procedures: Supervise the operations of a correctional facility or other correctional procedures, ensuring that they are compliant with legal regulations, and ensure that the staff complies with regulations and aims to improve the facility’s efficiency and safety.
Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Undertake inspections: Undertake safety inspections in areas of concern to identify and report potential hazards or security breaches; take measures to maximise safety standards.
Comply with legal regulations: Ensure you are properly informed of the legal regulations that govern a specific activity and adhere to its rules, policies and laws.
Manage security clearance: Manage the systems and monitor the functioning of the security clearance system and staff working to ensure security of the facility, to ensure no non-authorised individuals acquire access and to monitor potential risks and threats.
Contribute to the formulation of correctional procedures: Contribute to the formulation of regulations and procedures concerning the operations of correctional facilities.
Identify security threats: Identify security threats during investigations, inspections, or patrols, and perform the necessary actions to minimise or neutralise the threat.
Delegate activities: Delegate activities and tasks to others according to the ability, level of preparation, competence and legal scope of practice. Make sure that people understand what they should do and when they should do it.
Maintain operational communications: Maintain communications between different departments of an organisation, between the staff, or during specific operations or missions, to ensure that the operation or mission is successful, or that the organisation functions smoothly.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of correctional services manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Criminology: The study of criminal behaviour, such as its causes and nature, its consequences, and control and prevention methods.
Criminal law: Th legal rules, constitutions and regulations applicable for the punishement of offenders.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of correctional services manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Advise on risk management: Provide advice on risk management policies and prevention strategies and their implementation, being aware of different kinds of risks to a specific organisation.
Show responsibility: Accept responsibility and be accountable for professional decisions of yourself or others as part of a job or one’s role.
Represent the organisation: Act as representative of the institution, company or organisation to the outside world.
Maintain logbooks: Maintain the required logbooks according to practice and in established formats.
Manage emergency procedures: React quickly in case of emergency and set planned emergency procedures in motion.
Recruit employees: Hire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.
Ensure information security: Ensure that the information gathered during surveillance or investigations remains in the hands of those authorised to receive and use it, and does not fall into enemy or otherwise non-authorised individuals’ hands.
Maintain professional records: Produce and maintain records of work performed.
Set organisational policies: Participate in setting organisational policies that cover issues such as participant eligibility, program requirements, and program benefits for the service users.
Write work-related reports: Compose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligible way so they are comprehensible to a non-expert audience.
Apply knowledge of human behaviour: Practice principles related to group behaviour, trends in society, and influence of societal dynamics.
Coordinate patrols: Coordinate the investigation and inspection of a certain area by assigning patrollers to routes and areas, establishing the area that needs patrolling, and coordinating the activities during the patrol.
Train employees: Lead and guide employees through a process in which they are taught the necessary skills for the perspective job. Organise activities aimed at introducing the work and systems or improving the performance of individuals and groups in organisational settings.
Ensure law application: Ensure the laws are followed, and where they are broken, that the correct measures are taken to ensure compliance to the law and law enforcement.
Conduct public presentations: Speak in public and interact with those present. Prepare notices, plans, charts, and other information to support the presentation.

ISCO group and title

1349 – Professional services managers not elsewhere classified

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Correctional services manager – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022