Characteristics required of prison officers

In accordance with the Act on Public Officials in Central Government, public officials have to perform their duties appropriately manner and without delay. Public officials have to be particularly careful in their work and the decisions made by authorities have to be impartial. The Act on Public Officials in Central Government is available in Finnish on finlex.fi. The giving of a bribe to a public official and the acceptance of a bribe are prohibited under the Criminal Code (finlex.fi).

Prison officers are required to have, among others, good social skills and humane values. They need a willingness and ability to discuss with prisoners and motivate them. Even in difficult situations, prison officers have to remain fair but firm towards prisoners. The security and operation of the everyday prison life require that every staff member is reliable and takes responsibility. The work requires a high stress tolerance.

An applicant’s aptitude for working as a prison officer is evaluated in an aptitude assessment.

Prison officers do not have physical requirements, such minimum height. However, they need to be in good condition, which means the applicants have to pass a fitness test .

Find out more about working as a prison officer.

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