Registered nurses are the primary healthcare providers for offenders in correctional facilities. The way in which correctional nurses care for offenders can be difficult in this context. Following a systematic review and narrative synthesis of literature regarding how correctional nurses show caring for offenders three themes emerged: the struggle of custody and caring (conflicting ethical and philosophical ideologies, correctional priorities that override nursing priorities, safety and security), the need to be nonjudgmental (judgmental attitudes can impact care; focus on health not the crime), and the importance of boundaries. Implications for practice focus on recommendations to promote caring in correctional nursing; the outcome of which will potentially enhance quality of care for offenders and improve working environments for nurses.