gaoler

A gaoler, also spelled gaolier or jailer, is a person employed to guard and supervise prisoners in a jail or prison. The core responsibilities include overseeing inmates, maintaining order, and ensuring the security of the facility. Gaolers escort prisoners to and from cells, courts, and other locations, supervise movements within the jail, and conduct searches of cells, clothing, and property for contraband or weapons. They may also supervise visits, work assignments, meals, and recreation, and keep custody records such as headcounts and inmate movements.

In many systems, gaolers are responsible for safety checks and for reporting incidents, while more specialized staff handle medical care, security measures, and rehabilitation programs. The role can involve basic first aid and the enforcement of facility rules, as well as responding to disturbances or escapes. Working conditions vary by jurisdiction, facility type, and level of custody, and gaolers may operate in uniform or plain clothes depending on the assignment.

Historically, the term gaoler is common in British English and appears in older or literary texts. In modern United States usage, the term jailer or corrections officer is more typical, though gaoler remains in use in some jurisdictions and in historical writing. Etymologically, the word derives from gaol, meaning jail, which comes from Old French jaole or gaole, with roots tracing back to earlier terms referring to a prison or galley.

See also: jailer, jail, prison officer, turnkey, warder, corrections officer.