Bremen Prison (Germany) currently has 22 training places to fill. Having an article in the local newspaper is just one way we reach out to – and interest – possible candidates. Using local media is a great way to advertise the positions available, and give some insight into what a career behind bars might be like.
The following article (in German language) follows three new recruits – one woman and two men, two stepping into prison from another career, one direct from education. It gives the reader a taste of what a correctional officer does at work, and what competencies might be useful. The article also has a strong focus on modern prison culture, helping the reader to see how the rehabilitative mission of prison come to the fore in recent years.
“We don’t call each other ‘prison guard’ or ‘warden’”, we’re told before entering the prison. “These colleagues are Correctional Officers.” Sounds like a sounds like a linguistic trifle, but it reflects the changes in the way offenders are treated. Behind the walls of Oslebshausen Prison in Bremen, people are not simply locked away, but prepared as best as possible for life after prison. For Bremen’s Correctional Officers, “reintegration” is not a cliché term of the times, but the determining factor in their daily work. Robustness is still a necessary quality of Correctional Officers, but so is empathy, good listening and observation skills.
You can read more (in German) here https://www.weser-kurier.de/bremen/arbeiten-im-bremer-gefaengnis-drei-beamte-und-ihr-traumberuf-doc7ld3jk9lodc14uhpm55e
