Prison instructor

Description

Prison instructors educate legal offenders, including prisoners, on social rehabilitation and correctional behaviour. They assist prisoners in gaining skills which could facilitate their reintegration into society and increase their chances at finding employment after release. Prison instructors analyse the students’ individual learning needs, plan and prepare teaching materials and sessions and update their learning records. They also ensure the working area and materials are safe from danger and accounted for, and supervise the students at all times.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to prison instructor:

prison training officer
prison teacher
prison and correctional instructor
instructor in prisons
instructional officer
correctional training instructor
teacher in prisons
prison educator

Minimum qualifications

High school diploma is generally required to work as prison instructor. 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.

Prison instructor is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Prison instructor career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to prison instructor.

probation officer
police trainer
armed forces training and education officer
adult literacy teacher
correctional services manager

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of prison instructor. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of prison instructor 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 prison instructor.

Training subject expertise: The topic, content and methods of the training, acquired by doing research and following training courses.
Adult education: Instruction targeted at adult students, both in a recreational and in an academic context, for self-improvement purposes, or to better equip the students for the labour market.
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 prison instructor.

Guarantee students’ safety: Ensure all students falling under an instructor or other person’s supervision are safe and accounted for. Follow safety precautions in the learning situation.
Observe student’s progress: Follow up on students’ learning progress and assess their achievements and needs.
Oversee rehabilitation process: Oversee the rehabilitation process of offenders during their stay in a correctional facility, to ensure that they follow the instructions, show good behaviour, and work towards full re-integration when they are released.
Identify training needs: Analyse the training problems and identify the training requirements of an organisation or individuals, so as to provide them with instruction tailored to their prior mastery, profile, means and problem.
Comply with the principles of self-defence: Observe the principles according to which a person should only use so much force as is required to repel an attack. The use of deadly force is limited to situations where attackers are using deadly force themselves.
Apply teaching strategies: Employ various approaches, learning styles, and channels to instruct students, such as communicating content in terms they can understand, organising talking points for clarity, and repeating arguments when necessary. Use a wide range of teaching devices and methodologies appropriate to the class content, the learners’ level, goals, and priorities.
Assess students: Evaluate the students’ (academic) progress, achievements, course knowledge and skills through assignments, tests, and examinations. Diagnose their needs and track their progress, strengths, and weaknesses. Formulate a summative statement of the goals the student achieved.
Show empathy: Show empathy in order to prevent any kind of symbolic violence and isolation and to guarantee a considerate attention to everyone. It should include a capacity to understand various verbal and non-verbal communication of sentiment and feeling.
Handle conflicts: Mediate in conflicts and tense situations by acting between parties, such as service users, important others like families, and institutions, striving to effect an agreement, reconciliate, and resolve problems.
Assess offenders’ risk behaviour: Assess and monitor the behaviour of offenders to gauge whether they pose any further risk to society, and what their chances for positive rehabilitation are, by assessing the environment they’re in, the behaviour they show, and their efforts in rehabilitation activities.
Apply knowledge of human behaviour: Practice principles related to group behaviour, trends in society, and influence of societal dynamics.
Perform classroom management: Maintain discipline and engage students during instruction.
Provide lesson materials: Ensure that the necessary materials for teaching a class, such as visual aids, are prepared, up-to-date, and present in the instruction space.
Assist students in their learning: Support and coach students in their work, give learners practical support and encouragement.
Apply intercultural teaching strategies: Ensure that the content, methods, materials and the general learning experience is inclusive for all students and takes into account the expectations and experiences of learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. Explore individual and social stereotypes and develop cross-cultural teaching strategies.
Reinforce positive behaviour: Reinforce positive behaviour in people during rehabilitation and counseling activities, to ensure that the person takes the necessary actions for positive results in a positive manner, so that they remain encouraged to continue their efforts and reach goals.
Encourage students to acknowledge their achievements: Stimulate students to appreciate their own achievements and actions to nurture confidence and educational growth.
Practice vigilance: Practice vigilance during patrol or other surveillance activities in order to ensure safety and security, to look out for suspicious behaviour or other alarming changes in patterns or activities, and to respond quickly to these changes.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of prison instructor. 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.
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.
Psychological counselling methods: The various psychological counselling, training and coaching methods for persons of all ages, groups and organizations considering medical aspects.
Behavioural disorders: The often emotionally disruptive types of behaviour a child or adult can show, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).

Optional skills and competences

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

Identify available services: Identify the different services available for an offender during probation in order to help in the rehabilitation and re-integration process, as well as advising the offenders as to how they can identify services available to them.
Restrain individuals: Restrain, or control by force, individuals who violate regulations in terms of acceptable behaviour, who present a threat to others, and who perform acts of violence, to ensure the individual is unable to proceed in this negative behaviour and to protect others.
Conduct frisk: Conduct frisks, or pat downs, with individual to ensure there are no illegal or dangerous items concealed on their person, in a manner appropriate and compliant with regulations.
Use different communication channels: Make use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.
Interview people: Interview people in a range of different circumstances.
Develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements: Create professionally written content describing products, applications, components, functions or services in compliance with legal requirements and internal or external standards.
Contribute to the formulation of correctional procedures: Contribute to the formulation of regulations and procedures concerning the operations of correctional facilities.
Manage resources for educational purposes: Identify the necessary resources needed for learning purposes, such as materials in class or arranged transportation for a field trip. Apply for the corresponding budget and follow up on the orders.
Identify security threats: Identify security threats during investigations, inspections, or patrols, and perform the necessary actions to minimise or neutralise the threat.
Mentor individuals: Mentor individuals by providing emotional support, sharing experiences and giving advice to the individual to help them in their personal development, as well as adapting the support to the specific needs of the individual and heeding their requests and expectations.
Write situation reports: Write reports according to specifications and regulations of an organisation on the situation which needs to be reported on, such as the status of an investigation, of intelligence gathering, or of missions and operations.
Escort defendants: Escort suspects and known offenders from one area to another, such as in a prison or from a cell to a courtoom, to ensure they do not escape, that they are not violent, or otherwise exceed the limits of acceptable behaviour, as well as to be able to respond to any emergencies.
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.
Propose leisure activities: Propose appropriate recreational activities based on the targeted public’s behaviour and wishes.

ISCO group and title

2359 – Teaching professionals not elsewhere classified

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Prison instructor – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022