Working as a correctional officer

Corrective Services contributes to a safer community. We look after people that have just been sentenced at the ACT Magistrates Court.

Most days are 12 hour shifts. So you start at approximately 7:30 in the morning, give or take.

So the role at CTU is a bit different, we’re just more escorts to and from court. Supporting them in the cells until they go up to court, explaining the processes and what it's going to look like for them when they get up there.

Some of the key responsibilities is the safety and security of the centre. That involves safety of the staff as well as security of the detainees.

I think some of my personal qualities that make me good as a correctional officer is my people skills, my communication, I’m pretty easy going and easy to get along with, and I think that’s pretty beneficial within the job.

Depending on your posting, you could be securing gates, you could be on the cameras, or you could be in the accommodation blocks, you know, helping the detainees with their day to day, you know, welfare.

To be a good correctional officer communication is super important. Empathy is also very important, being able to understand people and the situations they're in.

Obviously I don't judge the detainees. I try and build a rapport reasonably quick, being the fact that I’m in admissions and have that role.

I try and do what I can for them. I personally love to think that a conversation I've had has made a difference to someone's life.

And you think possibly this could be the time that they're not going to come back, and that's a pretty special moment.

I love it. I highly recommend it.

It's a great place to work with great people, and having that ability to help and have an affect on people and help them through is, is really rewarding.

There's a few good luck stories at the end of it all.

If you can rehabilitate someone, or help rehabilitate someone, it makes you feel good.

Getting them back out into the community so that they can, you know, be a valued member.

It's 13 weeks of fairly intense training, but it brings the whole group in together. And you've got your own little immediate family when you walk in, you don't feel like, oh my God, there's so many people that I don't know. So that's always lovely.

So our social club here is awesome. We have situations here, whether good or bad, and let's face it, we're in a jail, everyone gets together.

Everyone's always about “Is that person okay?”, their wellbeing. And it's fantastic.

We get along quite well here. And we have to. If we're going to make it work we all have to work as a team, whether it's a little team, ten little teams or one big team.

So, some of the benefits of being a correctional officer is the work life balance, management are really big on that and help you work it out with flexible rosters.

Our leave balances are very generous and I think that’s really important to have and it allows for a lot of family time. It’s a great work life balance, it’s fantastic. You do get quite a few days off on certain parts of your roster. I get to live in regional New South Wales, and it’s just a different lifestyle.

You start off as a CO1, then go CO2, CO3 and above. Then you also have the K9 unit which has come on board.

There’s also non custodial roles that you can get into when you just want to try something new.

I think the number one social benefit is just the friends that I’ve made during the time here.

I kind of came into this workplace like a deer in the headlight. I didn’t know what to expect and what kind of people I was going to meet and within the first few weeks of the recruit course all my course were all my best friends. I knew from that point that that this job was for me and this was going to be alright.

I’ve been here for 24 years, what can I say. It is great. The people that you work with - your extended family, the work life balance, the money, and you do get good results.