Corrections officer

I am the one you always see beside a detained individual in a courtroom. It probably reassures you to see me guarding and watching over a prisoner during a trial. This part of my work is the most visible to the public, but my role actually involves much more than that; it includes aspects that are often overlooked by the public.

Anyone the judge has ordered to be detained while awaiting trial or sentencing must stay under guard 24 hours a day. When he is in prison, this is fairly easy: we place the person behind bars. But how can a person be constantly under guard when he is asked to come to court? We can’t very well move the cell, can we? This is where I come in. Whenever the detained person must travel outside prison, there will be an officer nearby to watch over him.

Since the courthouse only has enough cells to detain an accused person at the time of his appearance before the court, one of my jobs is to accompany him from the detention centre to the courthouse where he has been summoned. Often, there are several detainees from the same prison who must go to court on the same day. This is why we have to use a bus to drive them there. Since we may have to transport up to 22 prisoners at once, there are always two officers in charge: one drives the vehicle and the other guards the prisoners. During these trips, I am allowed to carry a weapon. I have never had to use it–the prisoners are handcuffed and generally remain calm. But there is always the possibility of danger coming from outside the bus…

When we arrive at the courthouse, and after searching them, I escort the detainees to the cells that have been prepared for them. Every accused person who has to appear in court must be placed in a cell while waiting for his case to be called. During this time, I am there to guard them. When the moment comes for an accused to appear before the court, I accompany him to the courtroom so that he is never alone. He stays under guard like this until everything is over. Even if some of the people I have to bring to court are not angels, normally everything goes well, especially since detainees are normally in handcuffs. Forget the images of confrontations between the guard and the prisoner. You only see that in the movies. Once, though, a detainee I was guarding tried to leave the courtroom after being declared guilty of murder by a jury. He didn’t go far…It did give the people in the room a good scare. When the accused’s presence in court is no longer required, I bring him back to the cell so I can then take him back to prison the same way that he came. Unless of course he has been freed by the judge… In that case he will be very happy to return home on his own.

If you attend a criminal trial one of these days, know that your safety is not threatened at all. My colleagues and I will ensure that the accused is well supervised both in the courtroom and everywhere else in the courthouse.