Overview
Outlook
Data
Training
Certifications
Description
Correctional service officers guard offenders and detainees and maintain order in correctional institutions and other places of detention. Primary workers develop women offender’s correctional plan and work with other service officers in the correctional team. They are employed by federal, provincial and municipal governments. Correctional service officers who are supervisors are included in this unit group.
Job Titles
- Correctional facility guard
- Correctional officers supervisor
- Correctional service officer
- Primary worker – correctional service
- Primary worker/kimisinaw – correctional service
- Prison guard
Main Duties
- Observe conduct and behaviour of offenders and detainees to prevent disturbances and escapes
- Supervise offenders during work assignments, meals and recreation periods
- Patrol assigned area and report any problems to supervisor
- Conduct security checks and scanning of visitors, inmates and their cells, working areas and recreational activity areas
- Observe behaviour of offenders and prepare reports
- Escort detainees in transit and during temporary leaves
- Prepare admission, program, release, transfer and other reports
- May supervise and coordinate work of other correctional service officers.
- May develop offenders’ correctional plan and facilitate their participation in reintegration programs in collaboration with psychologists, behavioral counsellors, parole officers and others.
Workplaces
- Federal government
- Municipal governments
- Provincial governments
Work Environment
- Indoors, environmentally controlled
- Biological agents
- Sound and noise
Physical Demands
- Standing
- Making repetitive motions
- Handling material manually
- Walking and running
- Sitting
Requirements
- Completion of secondary school is required.
- Post-secondary education in correctional services, police studies or criminology is required in New Brunswick, Quebec, and Alberta and Prince Edward Island.
- Correctional officer recruits must successfully complete the Correctional Service of Canada training course to be employed by federal institutions.
- Correctional officer recruits are usually required to complete a basic training course to be employed by provincial/territorial institutions.
- Physical agility, strength and fitness requirements must be met.
- Correctional service supervisors require experience as a correctional service officer.
- First aid certification and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training are usually required.
Skills
- Persuading
- Evaluation
- Instructing
- Monitoring
- Negotiating
Abilities
- Explosive Strength
- Gross Body Coordination
- Stamina
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Auditory Attention
Personal Attributes
- Attention to Detail
- Stress Tolerance
- Adaptability
- Analytical Thinking
- Collaboration
Similar Occupations
- Managers in social, community and correctional services (40030)
- Probation and parole officers (41311)
- Social workers (41300)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be Moderate for correctional service officers (NOC 43201) in Prince Edward Island for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
- Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Here are some key facts about Correctional service officers in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 100 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
- Correctional service officers mainly work in the following sectors:
- Provincial and territorial public administration (NAICS 912): 94%
- Local, municipal, regional, aboriginal and other public administration (NAICS 913-919): 6%
- 71% of correctional service officers work all year, while 28% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 45 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 73% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 27% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: n/a
- high school diploma or equivalent: 13% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 20% compared to 11% for all occupations
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 33% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 27% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: n/a
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $25.38 | $33.00 | $43.00 |
| Canada | $28.85 | $36.15 | $46.15 |
Training
| TRAINING PROGRAM | INSTITUTION | CREDENTIAL |
|---|---|---|
| Correctional Officer | Holland College | Certificate |
Additional Training
Certifications
We don’t have any data on professional certification requirements. Based on our records, this occupation is not regulated in PEI.
If you are aware of a local regulatory body for this occupation in PEI, please contact us.
More Info
Explore more details about this occupation on the Occupational and Skills Information System (OaSIS) website.