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The national system of crime and punishment works as well as it does thanks to thousands of dedicated corrections professionals. Correctional officers are some of the most important cogs in our national justice machine, providing protection and security on the front lines of our detention and penitentiary facilities. If you're passionate about helping justice be served, a career as a correctional officer might be for you.
What Does a Correctional Officer Do?
Correctional officers, or detention officers when employed at pretrial facilities, serve as enforcement officials on the inside of county, state, federal, and private jails and prisons. Correctional officers are not held responsible for law enforcement beyond the outer walls of their employing institution and hold no greater authority than a private citizen when out in the world at large. Here are a few of the general duties that a correctional officer can expect to perform on any given day:
Most correctional officers are assigned to a single cellblock, which they may work alone or in tandem alongside another officer. The balance of officers in a facility is connected to one another and to administrative authority figures via electronic communications devices, allowing them to maintain comprehensive institutional security by sharing information with one another in real time.
In prison settings with the highest level of security precautions in place, where inmates present the greatest risk for dangerous or disruptive behavior, correctional officers may be assigned surveillance from a centralized control room rather than walk a cellblock floor. These environments use electronic tracking systems, such as radiofrequency identification, to keep tabs on the prison population.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that employment opportunities for correctional officers are expected to grow by 9 percent between 2008 and 2018, approximately as fast as the national average for all occupations. Here's a look at a percentile breakdown of annual salaries for correctional officers in 2009:
Managers of correctional officers, referred to as correctional sergeants, earn a fair amount more per year, with the 2009 median annual wage being $57,690.
What Are the Steps to Becoming a Correctional Officer?
The first step to a career as a correctional officer is a high school education or general equivalency degree (GED), according to the BLS. Prospective employment at federal facilities comes with additional requirements, such as a bachelor's degree, three years experience providing full-time counseling or supervision or some balance between the two. State or county correctional institutions may require a certain amount of college credit, military experience or law enforcement training and field work before employment can be considered.
Candidates for a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, perhaps the academic field most relevant to work as a correctional officer, might find themselves studying arrest and control techniques, skills related to firearm use, basic first aid and defense tactics while unarmed. Common student admission requirements to criminal justice bachelor's degree programs include:
How to Become a Great Correctional Officer
Once hired, a rookie correctional officer undergoes up to 200 hours of in-house formal training at their detention or penitentiary facility. Federal trainees also are given 120 specialized hours of instruction and indoctrination at the Federal Bureau of Prisons training center at Glynco, GA.
Academy trainees can expect to be instructed in several related disciplines of corrections work, including institutional regulations, operations and policies, as well as appropriate procedures for custody and security. After formal training, correctional officers undergo weeks or months of on-the-job training, working in the actual environment while supervised by a veteran officer. Training and instruction continue throughout the duration of a correctional officer's employment to keep all officers informed about newly developed tools and procedures.
Correctional officers with outstanding employment records stand a decent chance of being promoted to correctional sergeants. Those with ambition, skill and appropriate qualifications may find themselves climbing as high in the ranks as warden. Opportunities also exist for correctional officers who wish to transfer to positions in correctional treatment, probation or parole enforcement.
Resources for Correctional Officers
These schools offer particularly quick info upon request, and we have written detailed profiles for each (click school names to see the profiles).
Request info from multiple schools, by clicking the Get Info links.
| School | Locations | Degrees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIU Online | Online | Bachelor | |
| American InterContinental University | FL, GA, TX | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Anthem College | Online | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Argosy University | AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, HI, IL, MN, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA | Bachelor | |
| Argosy University Online | Online | Bachelor | |
| Ashworth College | Online | Associate, Diploma | |
| Baker College Online | Online | Bachelor | |
| Bauder College | GA | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Berkeley College | NJ, NY | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Berkeley College Online | Online | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Briarcliffe College | NY | Associate | |
| Broadview University | UT | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Brown College | MN | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Brown Mackie College | AZ, FL, GA, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, MO, NM, OH, OK, SC, TX | Associate, Bachelor, Certificate, Diploma | |
| Carrington College California | CA | Associate | |
| Central Pennsylvania College | PA | Associate, Certificate | |
| Charter College | AK | Associate, Bachelor | |
| CHI Institute | PA | Associate | |
| Colorado Technical University | CO, MO, SD | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Colorado Technical University Online | Online | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Concord Law School | Online | Bachelor | |
| ECPI Online | Online | Bachelor | |
| ECPI University | NC, VA | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Everest College | AZ, CA, CO, NV, OR, TX, UT, VA, WA | Bachelor, Diploma | |
| Everest Institute | FL, NY, PA | Diploma | |
| Everest University | FL | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Everest University Online | Online | Associate, Bachelor, Master | |
| Florida Technical College | FL | Associate | |
| Fortis College | FL, OH, PA | Associate, Coursework, Diploma | |
| Harrison College | IN, OH | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Heald College | CA, HI, OR | Associate | |
| Herzing College | MB, ON, QC | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Hesser College | NH | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Institute of Technology | CA | Associate | |
| ITT Technical Institute | AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NM, NV, OH, OR, SC, TN, UT, VA, WA, WI | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Kaplan Career Institute | OH, PA | Associate | |
| Kaplan College KHE | AZ, CA, CO, FL, IN, NC, NV, OH, TX, VA | Associate | |
| Kaplan University KHE | IA, MD, ME, NE | Associate, Bachelor, Master | |
| Kaplan University Online | Online | Associate, Bachelor, Certificate, Master | |
| Keiser University Campus | FL | Associate, Bachelor, Master | |
| Keiser University eCampus Online | Online | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Lincoln College of Technology | Online | Associate, Bachelor | |
| Lincoln Technical Institute | MA | Coursework | |
| Minnesota School of Business | MN | Associate | |
| National American University Campus | CO, KS, MN, MO, NM, SD, TX | Associate, Bachelor | |
| New England Institute of Technology | RI | Associate | |
| Rasmussen College | FL, IL, MN, ND, WI | Associate, Bachelor, Certificate | |
| Sanford Brown Institute | NY | Associate | |
| South University | Online | Master | |
| Southwest Florida College | FL | Bachelor | |
| Strayer University | AL, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, MD, NC, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, UT, VA, WV | Associate | |
| TESST College of Technology | MD | Associate | |
| UEI College | CA | Diploma | |
| University of Phoenix | AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WY | Associate | |
| University of Phoenix Online | Online | Associate | |
| Virginia College Online | Online | Associate, Bachelor, Master | |
| Walden University | Online | Bachelor |
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