This is a series of example scenarios to give you an idea of the situations you might be faced with when working in a prison environment. It also gives you the chance to practice for the first stage of the assessment process!
In each question you are asked to select the most likely course of action you would take. Please note that this does not form part of the assessment process and you will be provided with feedback for each response you select. In many of these situations, there is more than one course of appropriate action and it requires fine judgement to decide what to do. We have made recommendations on each scenario on how you should respond.
Correct! You should explain your reasons but be clear on the expectations.
Be careful – it is important to establish trust with prisoners but do not allow them to take this too far. Try again.
This is not a good idea – it could potentially make the situation worse and adversely affect the prison environment. Try again.
There are better options here. At the end of a shift you should feel able to leave confident that a situation will be dealt with. Try again.
Correct! It’s important to follow due process but try to consider who is best to speak to in these circumstances.
Try again. This should be a last resort!
Correct! We always want to encourage you to use the support around you to achieve your goals.
This isn’t ideal. You want to make sure you keep to the commitments of your role.
Congratulations you have reached the end of the test!
You should now have a better idea of the types of situations that prison officers face, the variety that the job offers and the skills that you can build in this role. If you haven’t already done so, please register your details below if you would like to find out more about the programme and how to apply.