Warden

Job Description

The best-known warden positions include prison wardens and fish & game wardens. They both play important roles in protecting the public, but in vastly different ways. Prison wardens serve in an administrative capacity in state and federal prisons and are the face of a correctional facility. Along with overseeing every department in a facility, they bear the responsibility of managing operations. They are accountable for managing limited public funds in the best way possible to run the facility properly and ensure the safety and security of prison staff and inmates. Forbes.com offers an informative Q&A interview with one prison warden that sheds light on a prison warden’s duties and ideals. Fish & game wardens tend to be much more active in the law enforcement side of their job. These wardens help protect wildlife and fisheries by patrolling wooded areas and bodies of water for fishing, hunting and boating violations. They also investigate reports of violations, serve as members of search and rescue teams and testify against violators in court. Fish & game wardens are on the lookout for violations such as poaching and unlicensed hunting and fishing.

Educational Requirements

Education alone will not qualify you for a position as a prison warden. People typically work their way up through the supervisory ranks of a prison after entering as a corrections officer until they reach a warden position. A quick review of job postings revealed that a minimum of a bachelor’s degree is required for a warden position—even a deputy warden’s position, unless they have extensive supervisory experience to make up for it. For some employers, the bachelor’s degree can be in any subject area, but the majors most applicable to law enforcement are criminal justice, public administration or police studies. Fish & game wardens, however, must complete at least two years of college before being eligible for positions in most states, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and many must be at least 21 years old. Afterwards, those on the track to becoming fish & game wardens typically attend a training academy lasting three months to a year. Both prison wardens and fish & game wardens must never have committed a felony.

Career Outlook and Salary

Limited information is available on career prospects specifically for prison wardens and overall salary information for the profession. However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics does project growth of 9 percent for first-line supervisors and managers of corrections officers. The Bureau lists median yearly salaries for these supervisors and managers at $57,380. A salary calculator offered by job search site SimplyHired.com put the average annual salary of prison wardens at $55,000. However, wardens have the potential to earn far more than the average correctional supervisor. A closer look at salary listings on job sites reveals some prison wardens earn more than $100,000. In 2002, a warden’s base salary at California State Prison, Solano was listed at $103,416. On the other hand, fish & game wardens had a median annual income of $48,930 as of May 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Salaries were highest for fish & game wardens working for state governments and lowest in local governments.