Becoming a Correctional Officer
Correctional officers are members of the staff of locked institutions, such as reformatories, jails and penitentiaries, who are tasked with supervising the prisoners incarcerated in these facilities. The job of the correctional officers is to assure the safety and security of these institutions and the inmates. Although they guard prisoners and other detained individuals, they have no law enforcement authority. Correctional officers are sometimes also referred to as Prison Guards, Prison Warders or Detention Officers.
Education, Training & Degrees for Correctional Officers
Applicants for employment in most correctional institutions must meet certain minimum requirements, usually including a minimum age requirement (most often 18 to 21 years old), the possession of U.S. citizenship, a high school diploma or equivalent, and a clean criminal record, free of felony convictions. Many institutions require previous work experience-not necessarily in this field, but simply to indicate some stability in the candidate's personal life. Correctional officer candidates need to be in good health, and are almost universally tested for physical fitness and adequate eyesight and hearing. Applicants are also typically given a drug screening, and are often required to pass a written examination as well as the physical and drug screening tests.
To obtain a correctional officer position within the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the entry-level requirements include a minimum of a bachelor's degree as an educational requirement, or at least three years of full-time employment in some field providing individual counseling, assistance, or supervision.
Regardless of the requirement for a college degree, a degree in some criminal justice discipline, such as law enforcement, or in some relevant social service discipline can always benefit employment prospects in addition to enhancing one's prospects for promotion and raises.
Job Responsibilities and Desired Skills for Correctional Officers
The primary task of the correctional officer is to guard and supervise the individuals who are incarcerated in the institution, and to maintain order and enforce the rules and regulations of the institution. To accomplish this, correctional officers routinely monitor the activities of inmates, search their cells or living quarters for contraband (usually drugs or weapons), and enforce discipline. They also escort prisoners between the institution and outside destinations like courtrooms or medical facilities.
The second major responsibility of the correctional officer is to ensure the safety of the residents of the institution. To accomplish this, correctional officers perform frequent inspections of the facility, keeping an eye out for unsanitary conditions, potential fire hazards and other similar conditions which could endanger the staff or residents.
The correctional officer's third major responsibility is to ensure the security of the locked institution to prevent escapes. They routinely and diligently inspect doors, locks, gates, vents, window bars and other features to assure their integrity.
In addition to their other responsibilities, correctional officers maintain a daily log of activities that have occurred during their shift. This log includes the results of their inspections as well as their observations of the conduct of inmates, noting disturbances or violations of rules.
Prisons are separated by security level, which can range from minimum security facilities, like county work farms, to the most recent development and highest security category, the "supermax" or "maxi-maxi" prison. The specific function of correctional officers and the equipment they use varies from facility to facility and varies widely among the security levels, but the major responsibilities of correctional officers remains the same regardless of the practical routines for accomplishing these responsibilities.
Because security must be maintained twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, including weekends and holidays (and an extra day during Leap Years), correctional officers can be assigned shifts at any hour of the day or night. Considering this as well as the high level of focused attention this dangerous position requires, the job can prove both stressful and potentially hazardous. The candidate for a correctional officer position should be extraverted, emotionally stable, alert, and able to handle the stresses that this job can generate.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons recommends these attributes for their corrections officers: the ability to supervise others; the ability to communicate verbally; and the ability to react in crisis situations. Other character traits that the successful corrections officer should possess include good judgment, impartiality, the ability to think on one's feet, and the ability to act swiftly and decisively.
Correctional Officer Salary Range and Employment Outlook
The need for correctional officers can be clearly indicated through a few key statistics. More than 700,000 people in the U.S. are incarcerated in local jails at any given time, for example, as well as nearly 1.4 million inmates housed in state and federal facilities. Correctional officers will admit, process, and guard nearly 12 million people in these facilities every year.
Most correctional institutions are run by governments at the municipal, state or federal level, and most correctional officers are government employees, although there is a growing trend in the corrections field toward privately-owned and operated institutions.
Nearly half a million people were employed as correctional officers, jailers or bailiffs in 2004. More than half of those positions were in state institutions. Approximately 16,000 correctional officers were employed by federal correctional institutions and 15,000 by privately owned and operated prisons. The remaining positions were at the local level, in city or county jails. Most of the approximately 3,400 jails in the U.S. fall within the domain of county government.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, opportunities for correctional officer positions should be excellent over the next several years, due in part to an increasing prison population. Job stability is good, and layoffs are rare, although many people leave the occupation due to burnout and the dangerous nature of the work. In addition to government positions, employment opportunities for correctional officers continue to grow in the private sector, in privately operated contract facilities.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary of correctional officers and jailers in 2004 was $33,600, with a salary range running from less than $21,490 to more than $54,820. These average annual wages varied widely depending on the employer. At $44,700, federal correctional officers had the highest average salary, for example. At the state level, the median salary was $33,750; at the local level, $33,000; and in the private sector, the average annual salary was about $21,490.
