How Do You Become A Correctional Officer?
If you’re thinking about a career in law enforcement, consider becoming a correctional officer. The position offers benefits, such as health insurance, paid sick and vacation time and job security. You can enter this growing field my following these steps. Step 1 Wait until you turn 18 to apply for a job as a correctional officer. Some institutions require you to be 21. Step 2 Graduate from high school or get a GED if you haven’t already done so. You’ll need this at a minimum. Some places, like the Federal Bureau of Prisons, require a bachelor’s degree, unless you have three years of job experience providing assistance to people. This includes counseling, nursing, firefighting, working with juvenile delinquents and even being a day care worker. Step 3 Become a citizen of the United States, or an alien authorized to work in the United States, if you’re not one already. Step 4 Maintain a clean record. A felony will automatically disqualify you from consideration. So will any drug violati
Correctional officers provide supervision and security in prisons, whether it’s in a local county jail, a federal correctional facility, or an accredited private prison facility. If you want to become one, refer to these tips as a start-up guide for your chosen career. • Get yourself familiar with the tasks commonly assigned to correctional officers. Since correctional officers have direct contact with incarcerated individuals, the job has its inherent risks. This is the reason why correctional officers go through a series of trainings totaling to 120 hours upon employment to make sure that they are physically and mentally primed for the difficult and dangerous task ahead. Refresher courses amounting to 200 hours after their first year in the post will be given as well. Self-defense and crowd handling techniques are just some of the skills taught in the refresher course. • Figure out if you’re up for the job. As was earlier mentioned, correctional officers have first hand contact with
