THERE will be 'complex and challenging' work ahead for 123 newly qualified prison officers who have been placed in jails across Ireland.
The graduates were formally recognised at a Recruit Prison Officer (RPO) ceremony held in Dublin Castle last night.
Ireland’s Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan was among those in attendance for the graduation, which was held at the Print Works event space at the site.
“It’s an honour to be able to congratulate these new prison officers on their graduation,” Minister O’Callaghan said today.
“I commend them for their hard work and dedication over the course of their training, which will equip them with the knowledge and skills to carry out their work in a professional and meaningful way.”
He added: “These graduates are the backbone - and the future - of our prison system, and they will have a profound influence on how those in their custodial care can begin to prepare for a crime-free life and a fresh start when they leave.
“Prison officers make our communities safer, not just through providing secure custody, but also by providing the care and rehabilitation that those in custody need to be able to make the right choices when they are released, and I wish them all the best in what I’m sure will be a long and rewarding career in the Irish Prison Service.”
The new officers have each completed a Higher Certificate of Arts in Custodial Care (HCCC), which has been developed and delivered jointly by the Irish Prison Service and South East Technological University (SETU).
The graduating class form part of the Irish Prison Service’s latest recruitment drive and they have already been placed in prisons throughout the country, including the Operational Support Group and the Prison Service Escort Corp.
The work ahead of them will be “complex and challenging” the Director General of the Irish Prison Service, Caron McCaffrey said today.
“Prison Officers work in a challenging environment where the needs of those in custody are many and the problems are complex,” he said.
“The conferring of the Higher Certificate in Custodial Care upon these officers equips them with the skills and understanding required to work in a prison and I commend them for their commitment to their studies and helping us to manage a prison service which is built on the respect for human dignity,” he added.
The most recent RPO recruitment campaign, which was launched in August 2024 and closed in October of that year, received 1,509 applications.
A further recruitment campaign will launch later this year the Irish Prison Service has confirmed.
See More: Ireland, Irish Prison Service, Prison Officer
