Prison officers may experience debt problems. Work injuries, reduced overtime, or modest pay can easily lead to debt concerns. Bad luck or poor money management can also cause trouble.
You can use the common Scottish debt solutions, but employer disclosure is necessary. Failing to disclose your plans may cause serious workplace problems. We’ve helped prison officers to tackle their debts. Many enter formal debt solutions, including Scottish trust deeds.
Don’t delay getting advice. Debt problems tend to worsen over time. An adviser will review your financial situation. They’ll ask about your income and bills. They’ll make a note of your debts and assets.
This information enables the adviser to suggest solutions. You’ll be advised about your options and the pros, cons, and risks of each. You can ask questions to help make an informed decision. Our advice team can help you with this. Please contact us for confidential expert debt advice.
The Scottish Prison Service acts to control risk. If a prison officer has large debts, their employer may worry about two risks:
The first is that you become financially vulnerable. This increases the risk of corrupt activity. This risk gets reduced by disclosure of debt to the employer. It’s also controlled by tackling the debts with a solution.
The second risk is that your work quality reduces. Money worries cause serious stress and distraction. Debt can also damage your mental and physical health. This creates risks for colleagues and prisoners. With disclosure, your employer can offer you support. This reduces the level of risk.
Risk control doesn’t just apply to prison officers. Employers such as the police, armed forces, and banks take a similar view. It’s understood that, in the modern world, debt causes problems for many people. Employers don’t want to lose experienced and valuable members of staff. Support is the most common reaction to open disclosure.
Prison officer “Headwire” writes about employer support in this 2012 forum thread. He explains, “I’m a serving officer with the Prison Service who have a very similar code of conduct as the Police. They were 100% fine with the TD (trust deed) and just asked to be kept up to date with any changes.”
You must notify your employer before entering personal insolvency. A protected trust deed is a type of personal insolvency. So is bankruptcy. Legal action for debt recovery should also get disclosed. For example, this would include a Decree. Disclosure may be required to enter non-insolvency debt solutions. They include the debt arrangement scheme and debt management plans.
In its vision statement, the Scottish Prison Service states, “We apply high ethical, moral, and professional standards”. Disclosure demonstrates integrity and honesty. These qualities are greatly valued by employers. Non-disclosure by prison officers creates disciplinary risks.
Struggling with large debts may cause problems for prison officer job applicants. Pre-employment checks are likely to include checking your credit report. Your credit report will note any formal debt solutions in use. It will also note legal debt recovery actions.
Contact the recruitment team for further information. You may also be able to obtain sector-specific guidance from the POA.
