Career: Correctional Officers
You need an eagle eye and thick skin to be a correctional officer. In this job, you’ll be responsible for watching every move that inmates make. Your job will include inspecting their cells and searching for weapons. You’ll also have to supervise their work assignments and escort them wherever they go. If a fight breaks out between inmates, you’re the one who will settle it.
It’s a stressful and dangerous job. But the need for correctional officers is great, and the good ones can make a real difference.
Correctional officers are in charge of inmates in jails, prisons, and juvenile-detention facilities.
Did You Know?
- In maximum-security prisons, correctional officers have little interaction with inmates. They watch them on closed-circuit TV instead.
Are You Ready To...?
- Enforce rules and regulations
- Keep a daily log of inmate activity
- Search for weapons and drugs
- Stop fights between inmates
- Handcuff and escort prisoners
It Helps to Be...
Tough, both mentally and physically. Working with inmates can be dangerous. Being able to think and act swiftly in a crisis is also key.
Make High School Count
- Get involved in sports. Being in excellent physical condition is important in this line of work, and sports will also help you build the discipline and grit you’ll need.
- Work hard in English and speech classes. As a correctional officer, you’ll need good communications skills for writing reports and explaining rules and regulations to inmates.
- Sign up for JROTC, the Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts of the USA, or any group that will train you to be a leader in an organization governed by strict rules and guidelines.
Did You Know?
- Most new recruits go through a tough few weeks or even months of academy training to get in shape, both mentally and physically, for the job.
Outlook
Employment of correctional officers is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations for through 2016, according to government economists. That’s because the number of people in prison keeps going up, so prisons will probably need to hire more officers. That trend could change, however, if states change their sentencing rules.
Plenty of jobs should open up because many of these workers leave the job every year. Some retire, but many leave because of the low pay and difficult work.
Compensation
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the average yearly earnings of correctional officers and jailers at $41,340 in 2008. Of course, you can make more if you move up the ranks: their supervisors and managers made an average of $58,380.
