Employment: The prison sector is recruiting

At the end of 2021, there were 69,992 prisoners incarcerated in France, for 60,775 places. Nearly a hundred prison establishments face prison overcrowding. While the State has planned to build 15,000 additional prison places, the Ministry of Justice is endeavoring to continue its recruitment efforts in order to strengthen the body of prison guards.

In all, 1,000 new positions are to be filled through a national competition (registrations until May 20), an opportunity to highlight an unknown profession.

A protective status

It is above all the security of employment linked to the status of civil servant, as well as the prospects of a rapid career development towards personnel management positions, which motivate the candidates. Before embarking on this path, however, you must be aware of the responsibilities that come with this type of position. Prison guards are responsible for ensuring security inside the establishment, as well as outside during transfers for example. They accompany the prisoners in their various daily activities, whether in the visiting room, in the walking area, during work in the workshop or when they carry out socio-educational activities.

It is necessary to demonstrate authority to manage prisoners, and this job also requires listening skills and impartiality. This is all the more true since the guards are required to participate in reintegration actions organized by the dedicated prison services. You must also be ready to work in contact with more or less dangerous prisoners, in a closed environment and have no difficulty in working night shifts.

Only the patent is required

The prison guard competition is open to as many people as possible, from 18 to 45 years old. You just need to have a clean criminal record, be in good physical condition and have your national patent diploma in your pocket to present yourself. Candidates must first pass a first written eligibility test consisting of a MCQ on general knowledge, comprising a series of logical reasoning questions and including writing, in the form of a report, on a hypothetical event that occurred in prison. If successful, the candidates then take an oral personality interview, followed by sports tests.

Once the competition has passed successfully, the winners (about 10% of the applicants) will join the National School of Penitentiary Administration, located in Agen, to follow theoretical and practical training for 18 months while being housed on site and paid. . At the end of their course, the new guards will be assigned to one of the 188 prison establishments in France.

Recent upgrades

Faced with a difficult and undervalued profession, the State recently made a move to encourage more candidates to join the ranks of prison guards. In January 2022, the Keeper of the Seals announced the merger of the ranks of principal supervisor and brigadier into a single rank, so that these agents can progress without obstacles in their professional career.

The compensation indices for the profession have also been revised upwards. According to government figures, “a prison guard at the start of his career will have seen his remuneration increase, between 2017 and 2022, by 200 euros net per month to go from 1,770 to 1,980 euros net monthly”. Similarly, “the remuneration of young brigadiers evolves in five years from 2,000 to 2,200 euros net monthly”. More info on Lajusticerecrute.fr/devenezsurveillant