Prison officer : Employers and vacancy sources

The main employer of prison officers in Scotland, England and Wales is the Prison Service. The Scottish Prison Service  operates independently of HM Prison Service  in England and Wales. In March 2007, the Prison Service in England and Wales employed approximately 49,000 staff in 140 establishments with a population of 80,000 prisoners. In Scotland there were 4,137 staff and 7,183 prisoners spread across 18 prisons.

A number of prisons (currently 11) in England and Wales now operate under private contract and are consequently responsible for their own recruitment. Private prisons may also differ in other respects from the majority of prisons, but they are governed by the same Home Office  rules and regulations.

Prison officer opportunities also exist in remand centres, young offenders' institutions and open or resettlement prisons. Every Child Matters  is a useful source of information about young offenders' institutions.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• HM Prison Service
• National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Graduate Programme
• Scottish Prison Service
• Northern Ireland Prison Service
• Private prison providers’ websites, such as Sodexo Justice Services , Serco  and G4S
• Work with Offenders
• National and regional press, e.g. The Guardian , The Independent , The Herald  and The Scotsman
• Jobcentres and local newspapers.

Applicants in England and Wales should contact the personnel department at their preferred prison for vacancy details. Recruitment for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Graduate Programme  and in-service staff is centralised. It is usually supported by an advertising campaign and website, and is publicised through many of the resources listed above. Recruitment in Scotland is centralised through the Scottish Prison Service, and in Northern Ireland through the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

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