Military & First Responders

Correctional Officer Prayer

Correctional officers do one of the least thanked jobs in public service. They spend their shifts inside the same walls as the people they guard, in an atmosphere that can turn dangerous in seconds, and they are expected to stay firm, fair and humane through all of it.

3 minute read

Scripture has a correctional officer in it too: the jailer at Philippi, who was guarding Paul and Silas when an earthquake opened the prison doors. He drew his sword to kill himself rather than face the blame, and Paul shouted, “Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.” That night the jailer washed their wounds and was baptised with his whole family.

Historical Context

Scripture: the Philippian jailer, Acts 16:25–34

Patron of prisoners: St Dismas, the Good Thief, 25 March

Also invoked: St Michael, protector of those who keep order

National Correctional Officers Week: early May (US)

Officers live with stress that most people never see: violence, threats, long shifts and the emotional weight of the place. Rates of burnout are high. A prayer before a shift is not a small thing in that setting.

A Correctional Officer’s Prayer

Lord, I’m going inside again today.
Keep me alert and keep me safe.
Help me be firm without being cruel,
fair to every inmate, whatever they’ve done,
and honest with my fellow officers.
Guard my temper and my heart.
And bring me back out to my family tonight.
St Michael, pray for me.
Amen.

For a CO’s Family

Lord, keep my officer safe on this shift.
When they come home tense and silent, give me patience.
Help them leave the job at the door,
and let our home be a place of peace for them.
Amen.

For Those Behind Bars

Lord, you were arrested and condemned too.
Remember the men and women in prison tonight.
Bring repentance where it is needed and hope where it is lost.
St Dismas, who turned to Jesus at the end, pray for them.
Amen.

Best Times for This Prayer

Before a shift, in the car or the locker room.
After a violent incident or a lockdown.
During National Correctional Officers Week each May.
For a family member who works in a prison or jail.

Scripture Connection

“But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.” — Acts 16:28

Paul’s first concern, as a prisoner, was the jailer’s life. It is a picture of what a prison can be at its best: a place where both sides of the bars treat each other as human beings.

Related prayers

For the patron of prisoners, see the Saint Dismas Prayer. For others in public safety, the Police Officer Prayer and Dispatcher Prayer, and for St Michael, the Saint Michael Prayer.

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About Stephen S. Griffin

Stephen S. Griffin is the pen name of the person who runs Guided by Prayer, a reference library of prayers. How the prayers are written and sourced.