PTThe prison guard recruitment process in Portugal has received 575 applications for 200 available positions, more than double the number of vacancies. The Ministry of Justice confirmed this figure, noting that these applicants met the required criteria. This is the first recruitment under new rules aimed at increasing eligibility by expanding age limits to include candidates aged 18 to 35. Requirements include a clean criminal record, physical robustness, appropriate mental health, minimum height standards (1.60 m for women, 1.65 m for men), up-to-date mandatory vaccinations, and completion of high school. The selection process includes five stages: medical evaluation, physical tests (30% of the final score), knowledge tests (40%), psychological assessment (no impact on the final score), and a professional interview (30% of the final score). Each stage is elimination-based, requiring a minimum score of 9.5 to advance. The goal is to hire 400 new guards by 2027, though previous recruitment efforts had low success rates.
Bias read (Center): The article provides factual information about a government-led recruitment process, including requirements, application numbers, and procedural steps. It does not exhibit overtly biased language, one-sided sourcing, or omission of context. The mention of union concerns is balanced with the ministry
