NC CORRECTIONAL OFFICER STUDY GUIDE EXAM
2025/2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔exercising authority - ✔✔considerable flexibility in the applications of regulations
✔✔key principles (use of force) - ✔✔1. preserve and protect life
2. ensure public safety
3. CO safety
4. use of force framework doesn't replace law
5. federal statute, law and current case law
6. use of force framework is not intended to dictate operational policy
✔✔primary responsibility (use of force) - ✔✔to preserve and protect life
✔✔primary objective (use of force) - ✔✔ensure public safety
✔✔extent abuse of authority - ✔✔- the low visibility of the decisions that officers make
everyday inside institutions
- the culture of silence among officers, which may result in officers protecting one
another
- the relatively short periods of time for which provincial inmates are incarcerated
✔✔critical incidents - ✔✔include riots, suicides, hostile situations etc; can result in
PTSD
✔✔sources of stress - ✔✔- relationships between administration and COs
- relationships between case management and COs
- personality security
- lack of support
- too many tasks
- inadequate training
- shift work
- personal life
- prison conditions
✔✔conditions affecting levels of violence - ✔✔- conditions inside
- CO behaviour
- overcrowding
- competition
✔✔use of force - ✔✔increasing even though the profile of offender is becoming less
violent
✔✔female correctional officers - ✔✔- have positive impact on the management of
inmates in max security institutions
, - less likely to be assaulted by inmates
- less confrontational
✔✔recommendations (institutions for women) - ✔✔1. male COs should not carry out
security functions in living and segregation units
2. male COs should not serve as members of cell extraction teams
✔✔general profile of inmates - ✔✔- male
- young
- single parents
- marginally skilled
- disproportionately aboriginal
- disproportionately black
- convicted of property offences
- poor problem solvers
- serving short term sentences
✔✔status degradation ceremonies - ✔✔the processing of offenders into correctional
institutions whereby the offender is psychologically and materially stripped of
possessions that identify them as a member of the free society; most problematic for
first time offenders
✔✔pains of imprisonment (sykes) - ✔✔a key concept in understanding the careral
experiences
✔✔deprivation - ✔✔- loss of liberty
- access to good and services
- access to heterosecual relatonships
- loss of personal autonomy
- loss of personal security
✔✔most devastating aspect (pains of imprisonment) - ✔✔loss of liberty and personal
security
✔✔one of the greatest pains of imprisonments - ✔✔loss of regular family contact
✔✔children whose parents are in prison - ✔✔can suffer from emotional, behavioural
and academic problems
✔✔importance of maintaining family relationships - ✔✔keeps people motivated and
they need positive relationships for when they get released
✔✔formal prison subculture - ✔✔rules and procedures
2025/2026 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔exercising authority - ✔✔considerable flexibility in the applications of regulations
✔✔key principles (use of force) - ✔✔1. preserve and protect life
2. ensure public safety
3. CO safety
4. use of force framework doesn't replace law
5. federal statute, law and current case law
6. use of force framework is not intended to dictate operational policy
✔✔primary responsibility (use of force) - ✔✔to preserve and protect life
✔✔primary objective (use of force) - ✔✔ensure public safety
✔✔extent abuse of authority - ✔✔- the low visibility of the decisions that officers make
everyday inside institutions
- the culture of silence among officers, which may result in officers protecting one
another
- the relatively short periods of time for which provincial inmates are incarcerated
✔✔critical incidents - ✔✔include riots, suicides, hostile situations etc; can result in
PTSD
✔✔sources of stress - ✔✔- relationships between administration and COs
- relationships between case management and COs
- personality security
- lack of support
- too many tasks
- inadequate training
- shift work
- personal life
- prison conditions
✔✔conditions affecting levels of violence - ✔✔- conditions inside
- CO behaviour
- overcrowding
- competition
✔✔use of force - ✔✔increasing even though the profile of offender is becoming less
violent
✔✔female correctional officers - ✔✔- have positive impact on the management of
inmates in max security institutions
, - less likely to be assaulted by inmates
- less confrontational
✔✔recommendations (institutions for women) - ✔✔1. male COs should not carry out
security functions in living and segregation units
2. male COs should not serve as members of cell extraction teams
✔✔general profile of inmates - ✔✔- male
- young
- single parents
- marginally skilled
- disproportionately aboriginal
- disproportionately black
- convicted of property offences
- poor problem solvers
- serving short term sentences
✔✔status degradation ceremonies - ✔✔the processing of offenders into correctional
institutions whereby the offender is psychologically and materially stripped of
possessions that identify them as a member of the free society; most problematic for
first time offenders
✔✔pains of imprisonment (sykes) - ✔✔a key concept in understanding the careral
experiences
✔✔deprivation - ✔✔- loss of liberty
- access to good and services
- access to heterosecual relatonships
- loss of personal autonomy
- loss of personal security
✔✔most devastating aspect (pains of imprisonment) - ✔✔loss of liberty and personal
security
✔✔one of the greatest pains of imprisonments - ✔✔loss of regular family contact
✔✔children whose parents are in prison - ✔✔can suffer from emotional, behavioural
and academic problems
✔✔importance of maintaining family relationships - ✔✔keeps people motivated and
they need positive relationships for when they get released
✔✔formal prison subculture - ✔✔rules and procedures
