Correctional Officers

Summary

Correctional officers may need to search inmates for prohibited items.

Quick Facts: Correctional Officers
2010 Median Pay	$39,020 per year $18.76 per hour
Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Moderate-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	493,100
Job Outlook, 2010-20	5% (Slower than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	26,000

What Correctional Officers Do

Correctional officers are responsible for overseeing individuals who have been arrested and are awaiting trial or who have been sentenced to serve time in a jail, reformatory, or prison.

Work Environment

Working in a correctional institution can be stressful and hazardous. Every year, correctional officers are injured in confrontations with inmates. Correctional officers have one of the highest rates of nonfatal on-the-job injuries.

How to Become a Correctional Officer

Correctional officers go through a training academy and then are assigned to a facility for on-the-job training. Qualifications vary by agency, but all agencies require a high school diploma or equivalent. Some also require some college education or work experience.  

Pay

The median annual wage of correctional officers was $39,020 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of correctional officers is expected to grow by 5 percent from 2010 to 2020, slower than the average for all occupations. Growing demand for corrections services will lead to new job openings for correctional officers.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of correctional officers with similar occupations.

O*NET

O*NET provides comprehensive information on key characteristics of workers and occupations.

Contacts for More Information

Learn more about correctional officers by contacting these additional resources.

What Correctional Officers Do About this section

Correctional officers inspect the living quarters of the inmates that they oversee.

Correctional officers are responsible for overseeing individuals who have been arrested and are awaiting trial or who have been sentenced to serve time in a jail, reformatory, or prison. Typically, offenders serving time at county jails are sentenced to a year or less. Those serving a year or more are usually in state or federal prisons.

Duties

Correctional officers typically do the following:

• Enforce rules and keep order within jails or prisons
• Supervise activities of inmates
• Aid in rehabilitation and counseling of offenders
• Inspect conditions within facilities to ensure that they meet established standards
• Search inmates for contraband items
• Report on inmate conduct 

Inside the prison or jail, correctional officers enforce rules and regulations. They maintain security by preventing any disturbances, assaults, or escapes. Correctional officers supervise the daily activities of inmates, ensuring that inmates obey the rules and finish their work. Correctional officers also ensure that they know where all inmates are.

Officers must search inmates for contraband such as weapons or drugs, settle disputes between inmates, and enforce discipline. The officers enforce regulations through effective communication and the use of progressive sanctions, which involve punishments such as loss of privileges. Sanctions are progressive in that they start out small for a lesser or single offense but become more severe for more serious offenses or when repeat offenses occur. In addition, officers may aid inmates in their rehabilitation by scheduling work assignments, counseling, and educational opportunities.

Correctional officers periodically inspect facilities. They check cells and other areas for unsanitary conditions, contraband, signs of a security breach such as any tampering with window bars or doors, and any other evidence of violations of the rules. Officers also inspect mail and visitors for prohibited items. They write reports or fill out daily logs detailing inmate behavior and anything of note that occurred during their shift.

Correctional officers may have to restrain inmates in handcuffs and leg irons to escort them safely to and from cells and other areas and to see authorized visitors. Officers also escort prisoners between the institution and courtrooms, medical facilities, and other destinations.

Correctional officers cannot show favoritism and must report any inmate who violates the rules. If a crime is committed within their institution or an inmate escapes, they help the responsible law enforcement authorities investigate or search for the escapee.

Correctional officers have no responsibilities for law enforcement outside of their place of work. For information on other law enforcement occupations, see the profile on police and detectives. For information on counseling offenders outside of prisons, see the profile on probation officers and correctional treatment specialists.

Bailiffs, also known as marshals or court officers, are law enforcement officers who maintain safety and order in courtrooms. Their duties, which vary by location, include enforcing courtroom rules, assisting judges, guarding juries from outside contact, delivering court documents, and providing general security for courthouses.

Work Environment About this section

Correctional officers must follow procedures to maintain their personal safety as well as the safety of the inmates that they oversee in jail or prison.

Correctional officers held about 493,100 jobs in 2010. Ninety-five percent of correctional officers worked for federal, state, and local governments in May 2010. Most of the remainder were employed by private companies that provide correctional services to prisons and jails.

Working in a correctional institution can be stressful and dangerous. Every year, correctional officers are injured in confrontations with inmates. Correctional officers have one of the highest rates of nonfatal on-the-job injuries. Correctional officers may work indoors or outdoors. Some correctional institutions are well lighted, temperature controlled, and ventilated, but others are old, overcrowded, hot, and noisy.

Because offenders typically stay longer in state and federal prisons than in county jails, correctional officers in prisons come to know the people with whom they are dealing. They know what they need in terms of security and being taken care of. Therefore, state and federal prisons tend to be safer places to work than county jails.

Injuries

Correctional officers have a higher rate of injury and illness than the national average.  They may face physical injury when conflicts with inmates occur. They may also be exposed to contagious diseases at work, although precautions are taken to avoid this possibility. The job demands that officers be alert and ready to react throughout their entire shift. The work can be stressful, and some officers experience anxiety.

Work Schedules

Correctional officers usually work 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, on rotating shifts. Some correctional facilities have longer shifts and more days off between scheduled workweeks. Because jail and prison security must be provided around the clock, officers work all hours of the day and night, weekends, and holidays. In addition, officers may be required to work paid overtime.

How to Become a Correctional Officer About this section

Correctional officers typically attend training at an academy before being assigned to a facility.

Correctional officers go through a training academy and then are assigned to a facility for on-the-job training. Qualifications vary by agency, but all agencies require a high school diploma or equivalent. Some also require some college education or work experience.

Education

Correctional officers must have at least a high school diploma or equivalent. Some state and local corrections agencies require some college credits, but law enforcement or military experience may be substituted for this requirement. For employment in federal prisons, the Federal Bureau of Prisons requires entry-level correctional officers to have at least a bachelor's degree; 3 years of full-time experience in a field providing counseling, assistance, or supervision to individuals; or a combination of the two.

Training

Federal, state, and some local departments of corrections, as well as some private corrections companies, provide training for correctional officers based on guidelines established by the American Correctional Association (ACA). Some states have regional training academies that are available to local agencies. Academy trainees receive instruction in a number of subjects, including institutional policies, regulations, and operations, as well as custody and security procedures.

After formal academy instruction, state and local correctional agencies provide on-the-job training, including training on legal restrictions and interpersonal relations. Many systems also provide training in firearms proficiency and self-defense. Trainees typically receive several weeks or months of training in a job under the supervision of an experienced officer. However, on-the-job training varies widely from agency to agency.

New federal correctional officers must undergo 200 hours of formal training within the first year of employment, including 120 hours of specialized training at the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons residential training center. Experienced officers receive annual in-service training to keep up on new developments and procedures.

Correctional officers who are members of prison tactical response teams are trained to respond to disturbances, riots, hostage situations, and other potentially dangerous confrontations. Team members practice disarming prisoners, wielding weapons, and using other tactics to maintain the safety of inmates and officers alike.

Certification

Officers may complete a variety of certifications that provide additional resources for their daily work. These certifications also are a means to further the officers’ careers because they may lead to promotions.

Advancement

Qualified officers may advance to the position of correctional sergeant, who is responsible for maintaining security and directing the activities of other officers. Qualified officers also can be promoted to supervisory or administrative positions, including warden. Officers sometimes transfer to related jobs, such as probation officer, parole officer, or correctional treatment specialist. For more information, see the profile on probation officers and correctional treatment specialists.

Important Qualities

Critical-thinking skills. Correctional officers must determine the best practical approach to solving a problem.

Good judgment. Officers must use both their training and common sense to quickly determine the best course of action and to take necessary steps to achieve a desired outcome.

Interpersonal skills. Correctional officers must be able to interact and effectively communicate with inmates and others to maintain order in correctional facilities and courtrooms.

Negotiation skills. Officers must be able to assist others in resolving differences to avoid conflict.

Physical strength. Correctional officers must have the strength to physically move or subdue inmates.

Self discipline. Correctional officers must control their emotions when confronted with hostile situations.

Writing skills. Officers must be able to understand and learn training materials and write reports regularly.

Correctional officers usually must be at least 18 to 21 years of age, must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and must have no felony convictions. New applicants for federal corrections positions must be appointed before they are 37 years old.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of correctional officers and jailers was $39,040 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,040, and the top 10 percent earned more than $67,250.

The median annual wage in the public sector was $54,310 in the federal government, $38,690 in state government, and $38,980 in local government in May 2010. In the facilities support services industry, in which a relatively small number of officers employed by privately operated prisons is classified, the median annual wage was $30,460.

The median annual wage of bailiffs was $38,570 in May 2010. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,980, and the top 10 percent earned more than $66,400. The median annual wage of bailiffs employed by local governments was $34,490.

In addition to receiving typical benefits, correctional officers employed in the public sector usually are provided with uniforms or with a clothing allowance to buy their own uniforms. Many departments offer retirement benefits, although benefits vary. Unionized correctional officers often have slightly higher wages and benefits.

Correctional officers usually work 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, on rotating shifts. Some correctional facilities have longer shifts and more days off between scheduled workweeks. Because prison and jail security must be provided around the clock, officers work all hours of the day and night, weekends, and holidays. In addition, officers may be required to work paid overtime.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of correctional officers is expected to grow by 5 percent from 2010 to 2020, slower than the average for all occupations. 

Demand for correctional officers will come from population growth. However, because of budgetary constraints and a general downward trend in crime rates in recent years, demand will likely grow at a slower rate. Faced with growing costs for keeping people in prison, many state governments have moved toward laws requiring shorter prison terms and alternatives to prison. Community-based programs designed to rehabilitate offenders and limit their risk of repeated offenses while keeping the public safe may reduce prison rates.

Job Prospects

Some local and state corrections agencies experience high job turnover because of low salaries and shift work, as well as the stress that many correctional officers feel. The need to replace correctional officers who transfer to other occupations, retire, or leave the labor force, coupled with rising employment demand, should generate job openings.

Some employment opportunities also will come in the private sector as public authorities contract with private companies to provide and staff corrections facilities. Some state and federal corrections agencies use private prison services.  

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about correctional officers, visit

American Correctional Association

American Jail Association

For information about career opportunities for correctional officers at the federal level, visit

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Information on obtaining a position as a correctional officer with the federal government is available from the Office of Personnel Management through USAJOBS, the federal government's official employment information system.