Correctional Officer Interview Questions
Prison officers monitor inmates to ensure that they are supervised, safe and secure by enforcing the rules and regulations of the correctional facility. Duties can include restraining inmates, completing incident reports and inspecting cells. Prison officers are found in the various penal institutions in the UK.
Top Prison Officer Interview Questions & How to Answer
Here are three of the top interview questions put to prison officers and tips on how to answer them:
Question No. 1: In your opinion, which personality traits is it important for prison officers to possess?
How to answer: This open-ended question is used to determine what type of person you feel is expected to fill the role of a prison officer. It allows you the opportunity to demonstrate qualities that may not typically be used to describe a prison officer, including compassion and empathy. List and describe personality traits that you feel are important for a prison officer, with examples when possible of how you demonstrate these traits.
Question No. 2: How would you react if an officer was engaged in a physical fight with a prisoner?
How to answer: This open-ended question is designed to demonstrate your ability to handle stressful situations, solve problems and de-escalate volatile situations. In cases such as this, you will need to think and act decisively as well as quickly to break up the fight in the best way possible. Provide a detailed explanation, including how you would act and what you would say.
Question No. 3: Is there a time when you could use communication to prevent something terrible from happening or de-escalate a situation?
How to answer: This open-ended question allows you to refer to your communication and interpersonal skills and how you can use them to keep situations under control. Describe interactions with prisoners and fellow officers to bring back control, prevent bad results or de-escalate situations.
If you had an inmate who started to have a siezure, two who started fighting, and one who decided to try and scale the fence and run, what would you do?
6 Answers↳
Tend to the inmate that is trying to escape first...the seizures and fighting are contained situations...advise of the situations for assistance. The fight and seizure could all be a set up to help the inmate that is trying to leave...accountability is the most important task a officer has so all inmates. Must be accounted for at all times...seizure has to run its course the only thing you could sk with that is make sure the inmate doesn't get hurt while going through it....KEEPING INMATES SECURED AND ACCONTED FOR IS TOP PRIORITY.. Less
↳
I kinda agree with Fabulosa. They want you to prioritize from the most important to the least. In these question always chose to stop someone from escaping or stealing keys, pipes... etc. While you are running to prevent the escape you would radio in the nurse to help with the seizure individual at the same time you call for back up to take care of the escapee and the fighters. Less
↳
If you choose to give 'feedback', at least make it constructive by sharing some of your own words of wisdom as to why you feel the answer was "wrong" or incorrect. Simply by making a statement such as yours shows your lack of professionalism. Less
If you could shoot an inmate.
4 Answers↳
Yes if I had to in a Life or Death situation.Yes I would
↳
If life or death then yes. But if first I would talk to the person first to calm them down or maybe tazer them Less
↳
Anonymous candidate in west Palm Beach Florida please,thanks
If a inmate grabbed you near the exit with a knife to your throat what would you do?
3 Answers↳
Situation dictates...the first thing should be to get on the radio and or depress panic button on radio....being there is always multiple levels of secured entrance or exit within a facility I would access the situation dependent on my location. The ultimate answer is do all in my power to prevent an escape. With that said, I would also have to consider the following; the mental status of the inmate, the difference in physical stature, the level of sophistication (minimum/max/adesg), gang affiliation, other inmates present, my proximity to weapons (OC, Taser) etc.. Less
↳
Try to communicate with the inmate. You want to make him see you as a person, not a Bureau Employee. Try to comply with his requests with the understanding that as staff, your release is not negotiable, even with your life in imminent danger. If you can, make notification of your situation to other staff via radio or body alarm, but don't try to anger the inmate. If there is an opportunity for your escape that does not put your life or other people's lives in danger, take it. There is no "correct" answer to this question. It's a question that requires you to think and provide a rationale or common sense response, based on your general knowledge. You are not expected to know policy. Less
↳
Try to communicate with the person and de-escalate the situation and ensure they know it is not too late to do the right thing and correct their behavior. If they did not listen or where completely emotionally unstable and unwilling to communicate ,acknowledge to myself that it is my civic responsibility to do everything in my power to ensure the inmate does not escape even if it results in a fatal wound to myself and then attempt to over power the inmate or direct any backup to do whatever it took to stop the inmate from leaving the facility. Less
Your partner shows up intoxicated to work what do you do?
4 Answers
If your co-worker was doing something illegal with a inmate, would you notify your supervisor?
3 Answers↳
yes i would notify my supervisor
↳
yes i would notify my supervisor
↳
Yes I would contact my suppervisior
What would you do if while you're in a guard tower on a foggy morning, you saw a person running toward the fence?
3 Answers↳
Try to identify the person. No one should be running on the prison grounds other than inmates in an authorized area. to Inform an officer on the ground in the area of the activity and provide the location and direction of travel. Less
↳
Assuming this person is within the fence; 1. Radio to inform main/central control 2. Loud verbal command, "STOP! ALTO!" 3. Fire a warning shot (time permitting) into the dirt 4. Aim and fire, center mass Less
↳
1. Yell "Stop!" 2. Fire warning shot. 3. Aim and fire center mass.
You are working the visitation post and you know this is where contraband is being introduced into the institution. How do you minimize the contraband coming in?
2 Answers↳
You make your presence known in the visitation room. Making sure you are vigilant of the inmate and visitor interaction. Also making sure all visitors and inmates follow visitation room rules. If you have a suspicion you are able to terminate the visitation if need be. Less
↳
After you do your panel interview. Do they tell you if you passed.
If the warden was taken hostage would you comply with demands to release a prisoner
2 Answers↳
Any inmate have authority and even the warden he don't have anymore authority
↳
No inmates do not have any authority
You catch your fellow officer sleeping on duty. What do you do?
2 Answers↳
First and foremost, I would wake him up. Then I would help him rectify whatever issue he/she is having with staying up on duty. If the problem persists, I would inform supervision that this officer can never stay awake on duty. Less
↳
Not let them get caught. Look out for each other