A Corrections Officer’s Prayer

A correctional officer, in a nutshell, is an officer who manages prisons and prisoners. That kind of job requires more than you may think. Prison is not some kind of daycare center for convicted people. There are many things that correctional officers must do in their jobs. The main job of correctional officers is to enforce the law, order, rules, and regulations in prison. They oversee the prisoners and make sure that there is order to everything. Sometimes, prisoners do fight or even kill each other inside prison. That is why correctional officers ensure those things don’t happen by enforcing rules and regulations upon inmates and supervising them. One of the things that correctional officers supervise regarding inmates is their cells, checking to see if they have hidden contraband, which are not allowed. Correctional officers also make sure that the prisoners themselves are secure and safe and won’t escape easily. That also means they have to ensure that the facility is secure and properly maintained. The prison facility’s flaws cannot be ignored, as the prisoners can exploit those flaws to escape. The facility’s security maintained by correctional officers is not just on the inside, so that inmates can’t escape, but also on the outside. They have to ensure that the prison facility is secure on the outside, so that no one can just sneak into the facility. A correctional officer’s job is not easy. They are dealing with inmates serving time for committing crimes or felonies.

Father in heaven, I pray that You use me as an instrument through the job of being a correctional officer by making sure that justice is indeed served to those who broke the law. Give me the grace to be faithful in the work that I do. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What is the hardest part of being a correctional officer?

Depending on the person, almost every correctional officer faces challenges and risks. For example, an inmate may hold a grudge toward you because you confiscated their contraband. Correctional officers also primarily deal with people. That makes the supervision of inmates challenging, because each inmate has their own personality and attitude, and the chances are high that the majority (not all) are deviant. Another challenge is maintaining the prison facility. They must make sure that each stone is turned to avoid overlooking any flaws and risking a prison escape or even a prison break. That is also what makes a correctional officer’s job risky. If a prison break occurs, there is a high chance that inmates will resort to violence to break out of prison.

What is a correctional officer’s prayer?

Given the nature of correctional officers’ work, safety is one of the things you can always pray for. You can pray for their safety from any malicious intent of the inmates they are overseeing. 

Psalm 91:1-2

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Psalm 91:9-10

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

Here is a prayer you can pray for your safety as a correctional officer:

Father in heaven, protect me from any malicious intent of any inmates inside the prison. Give me the grace to always be alert and aware of my surroundings. I pray that no attempt to escape prison shall occur; please help us ensure that such a thing won’t happen. Keep my fellow correctional officers and I safe from any violent behavior of the inmates. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Another thing you can pray for as a correctional officer is to be excellent in your work. You know that you cannot do your job half-heartedly, especially when you are enforcing rules and regulations upon inmates and ensuring that the facility is secured. When you ensure that the facility is maintained, you can’t do lousy work, or sooner or later, it will become a flaw that the inmates will exploit and use as leverage to escape or do something malicious. However, you must keep in mind that your ultimate motivation for being excellent in your work is God. You want to glorify and honor God in your work by being excellent. At the end, whom you serve is not your state or county, but God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Colossians 3:23-24

23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Father in heaven, help me be excellent in my work as a correctional officer, knowing that I am working for You. Give me the grace to always strive to glorify You in my work and that my excellence in work shall also be a good example towards my colleagues. Give me the grace to always uphold honesty, uprightness, and integrity as a correctional officer and never take bribes from inmates. As I work, it is You whom I ultimately serve, and You deserve excellence. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

The inmates you supervise may be convicted criminals or felons, but they are still human beings. Before, when you were not yet in Christ, you were no different from them in the eyes of God because we all have sinned. As a Christian, you ought to be the salt and light in the prison facility where you are working. That does not only mean preaching the Gospel to your colleagues, but also to the inmates. Some of them are broken people, and you have the Gospel of Christ to tell them that in Christ, they are forgiven. You also ought to preach Christ to those inmates, in whom they can receive grace upon grace, be adopted as God’s child, and be sanctified to become more like Jesus. If you are a Christian and work as a correctional officer, a pastor or minister does not need to do prison ministry. You should be the one doing it, since you are already there. 

Matthew 5:13-16

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 28:19

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Titus 2:11-14

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Colossians 3:16-17

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Ephesians 2:1-10

1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

It is also important to keep in mind that just because they are people convicted of a crime does not mean you should treat them poorly. You should show them compassion, gentleness, and kindness as a Christian. You ought to reflect and witness Christ to them. Of course, there are also times to be strong because part of your job is to enforce order, rules, and regulations.

Father in heaven, give me the grace to be the salt and light towards the inmates in the prison facility where I am working. Give me the boldness and the courage to preach Christ towards them, in whom they will find forgiveness, grace, and eternal life. I pray for those whom I will preach the Gospel to that You would touch their hearts and turn them from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh so that they may repent and believe the Gospel of Christ. I also pray that You would open their spiritually blinded eyes so that they may see their need for Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Here is another prayer you can pray for the inmates to whom you will be preaching the Gospel:

I pray for the inmates whom I will be able to reach out to, that they will also reach out to their fellow inmates and that, even in prison, they can be ministers of reconciliation and ambassadors of Christ. Thank You, Father, because they can have joy in Christ even as they serve their sentences. Give them the grace to live a pure, holy, and upright life, for Christ has already set them free from the bondage of sin. I also pray that You would give me the grace to always treat them with compassion, gentleness, and kindness. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

As you preach the Gospel to your fellow correctional officers, here is a prayer you can say:

Heavenly Father, give me the grace to be bold and courageous as I preach the Gospel to my fellow workers and even to my superiors. I pray, Father, that You will work in their hearts and open their eyes so that they may repent and commit to following Christ as they hear the Gospel. I pray that they become zealous for Christ and preach Christ to the other inmates. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Being a correctional officer is certainly not easy. However, if you view it through the lens of being the salt and light to the world, it is a perfect place to change people’s lives in darkness and preach Christ to them, as He is the only One who can bring them to light. Though you cannot reduce their sentence on earth, you can offer them eternal life and hope in Christ.