¶ … corrections officer?
After graduating from high school, I held a number of different odd jobs. I worked as a dishwasher, a janitor, and in a factory. After coming to the realization that I needed to find a career, I applied for a job with the Department of Corrections and was fortunate enough to be hired. That was over 25 years ago and I am nearing my time for retirement.
What has been your position with the Department?
In the beginning I was a beginning level corrections officer with very simple responsibilities. I would work on the processing of new prisoners. My duties were to meet the new inmates as they arrived at the prison and have them turn in their personal belongings and issue them their prison wardrobe. It was easy work and most of the prisoners were so nervous and scared that they were very manageable. After a couple years I moved up to cafeteria duty and from there I gradually moved up the command chain. Today, I supervise one of the 12 individual buildings on the campus. I have over 100 corrections officer under my command and I am responsible for the daily care of 300 inmates.
Q: You are a supervisor now but what are the daily responsibilities of a typical corrections officer?
A: The typical corrections officer is responsible for the security, custody and control of approximately 10 inmates. These responsibilities range from supervising...
The generalized responsibility of every corrections officer is supervising the inmates under their control.
Q: You mentioned having several jobs subsequent from graduating from high school but you did not mention your education. What are the educational requirements for becoming a corrections officer?
A: When I became a corrections officer the minimum educational requirement was a high school diploma. Officially, I believe that this remains the minimum requirement but most new officers have at least an associates' degree (Department of Labor, 2012). The newer officers are definitely better educated than those that I began with and more career oriented. When I began most of the new hires were there because it was a paying job. Today, the new hires are more interested in corrections as a career.
Q: What is the secret to your success and longevity as a corrections officer?
A: First, I have always been respectful to the inmates. No matter what they did to find themselves in the position that they are I have always made sure that I treated them with respect. It is not my function as a corrections officer to judge the inmates who I meet. My responsibility is to protect the inmates and to provide them with security. For the most part, I have found that most of…
