Become a prison officer

Larissa Strong, Commissioner, Corrections Victoria:

“I think Corrections Victoria is one of the big secrets in all of Victoria. It's such a great place to work. There is a strong sense of purpose, a strong sense of identity amongst our workforce and our people are our biggest strength.”

Andrew Reaper, Assistant Commissioner, Corrections Victoria:

“The purpose of prison is not to punish the people. It is to absolutely give them the opportunity to improve themselves and become contributing members of our community.”

(Background video of male two prison officers walking and talking with a male prisoner in the corrections centre grounds)

Simone Shaw, Clinical Director, Corrections Victoria:

“So essentially, our goal is to create safety for our community by targeting the things that we know do cause crime.”

Alex Cano, Acting General Manager, Case Management, Corrections Victoria:

“It's about assisting those individuals that come into custody and addressing their offending behaviour.”

Simone Shaw:

“Our job as a corrections service is to have people leave us in a better state than they were when they came to us.”

Andrew Reaper:

“And there is great research and evidence that says the prison officer is the most important aspect of a person being able to turn their lives around, be rehabilitated and reintegrated into the community. It is the prison officer who should build that relationship.”

Simone Shaw:

“And so the personal qualities simply need to be the optimism for change, a willingness to go on a journey with somebody…”

Larissa Strong:

“…As well as be able to work in a multidisciplinary team environment and see different perspectives. Good prison officers have good people skills.”

Alex Cano:

“Excellent verbal communication.”

Simone Shaw:

“Natural warmth, empathy.”

Alex Cano:

“Corrections Victoria invests a lot in staff.”

Andrew Reaper:

“We have a significant pre-service training component and then we will continue to support our staff in their personal development via ongoing training opportunities, professional development opportunities.”

Alex Cano:

“A Prison Officer role is a job with a purpose.”

Andrew Reaper:

“You get the opportunity every day you come to work to change a person's life.”

Larissa Strong:

“If you're considering becoming a prison officer and starting a career in corrections, absolutely go for it and make that enquiry. We want prison officers of different backgrounds with different diversities, with different life skills and experiences. We want to mirror the community.”

Andrew Reaper:

“You'll work alongside great people, you'll be supported by the leadership of Corrections Victoria. It is a fulfilling career, full of challenges but full of hope and one that people should strive to be part of.”

Simone Shaw:

“And if you want a job where you can leave at the end of the day feeling really proud of what you've done and knowing that you've done something meaningful for your community, this is one of those jobs.”