Corrections Officer

Job Description

A criminal’s deviant behavior doesn’t necessarily stop just because he or she has been taken into custody. For this reason, corrections officers are needed to keep the peace and maintain security in jails, prisons, youth correctional facilities and reformatory centers. Corrections officers, sometimes called jailers, are in charge of watching over people who have been arrested and charged with a crime but have not yet gone to trial, as well as those convicted of crimes that are incarcerated as part of their punishment. Corrections officers work in a dynamic environment where they must be vigilant at all times to ensure that inmates are not a danger to themselves, other inmates or jail staff. They are responsible for searching inmates for weapons, illegal drugs and other prohibited items and contraband. Corrections officers also account for inmates and ensure that none escape confinement. Some corrections officers accompany low-risk inmates on work assignments on the grounds of the facility or outside the prison campus.

Educational Requirements

To be a corrections officer, you must first have earned your high school diploma or its equivalent (such as a GED). Then you must undergo academy training to become a sworn peace officer. This training is done in-house or at regional training academies and includes instruction in proper procedures and security measures. While a college degree is not necessarily required to be an entry-level corrections officer, it is wise to obtain an associate or bachelor’s degree if you plan to move up in the profession to a higher-paying supervisory role, such as a corrections sergeant, where a degree is often strongly preferred. A degree also tends to make you more marketable to employers. Some employers, such as the Federal Bureau of Prisons, require entry-level corrections officers to have a bachelor’s degree, three years of related experience or a mixture of the two, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Career Outlook and Salary

Career opportunities are expected to be bright for those looking to enter the corrections officer profession, due in part to laws mandating stiffer sentences and limiting parole opportunities, a growing population and higher rates of incarceration. Job growth of 9 percent is expected between 2008 and 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Median annual salaries of corrections officers vary according to where they work and in what capacity they work. Overall, median annual salaries for corrections officers were $38,380 in May 2008, the Bureau shows. However, those corrections officers who served in supervisory or managerial roles earned a median annual salary of $57,380. Those corrections officers serving at the federal level earned $53,459 on average, due in part to their general higher level of education and responsibility. Another source, online compensation site Payscale.com, reveals that entry-level hourly wages for corrections officers were between $10.66 and $13.36 an hour and wages for those with 1-4 years of experience were between $12.08 and $16.74 an hour. However, those with 20 or more years of experience earned between $17.51 and $28.15 an hour, according to Payscale.