Prison starts another staff recruitment drive

Another recruitment campaign to find staff for the Otago Corrections Facility begins tomorrow, although no new staff are needed there at present.

The Department of Corrections is keen to have potential candidates through part of the recruitment process so, if vacancies arise, it is well on the way to filling those places, prison manager Jack Harrison said.

A recruitment roadshow will be held at the prison tomorrow night for those interested in finding out more about a career behind bars.

While there were no vacancies now, the time between applications being received and letters of acceptance being sent out meant it was "important for us to have a pool of applicants who meet our selection criteria available at any one time," Mr Harrison said.

The selection process for a corrections officer can be quite lengthy, he said.

"Being a corrections officer is a challenging role and the department must ensure that candidates are thoroughly and appropriately considered for the role.

Among other important steps, a security check and psychological testing must be carried out on all prospective corrections officers," Mr Harrison said.

The next scheduled initial training course was in September, and the department wanted people "through the process" and ready to attend should it have vacancies at the facility at that time.

He also confirmed 25 staff had left the prison since it opened in May last year.