Criminal Justice - Corrections
Common Questions
What qualities do I need to be successful in corrections?
There is much more to being a correctional officer than just locking doors. They must keep track of people, monitor inmates' medications
and write reports of what they observe. While correctional officers seldom carry weapons, they do stop fights, help solve crimes, and find
themselves doing some informal and formal counseling.
Life in a prison setting is tense, and correctional officers must deal with this every day. They must be able to spot trouble, and think
and act quickly in times of tension, using such personal resources as physical courage, maturity and common sense.
While the only prerequisite needed to enter this program is a high school diploma or GED, anyone considering a career in corrections
should like people, be emotionally stable, and have good organizational skills.
Since individuals who have a high sense of security and maturity are critical to this profession, the older student is often an ideal
employee. Women, too, are playing a larger role in the corrections field, contributing balance to formerly male-dominated facilities.
What will I learn in the corrections option?
The program offers training for a variety of careers in corrections. Graduates of the program are equipped to work in prisons and jails,
juvenile centers, treatment facilities, group homes, and in the private security industry.
The program's security practices are designed for dealing with people in an institutional environment rather than on the street.
Consequently, corrections students study institutional management, prisoner rights and behavioral problems. Since correctional officers
essentially live with - and must manage - serious criminals, they need to understand the psychological and sociological motivations behind
the behavior they will encounter. They also take a stress management seminar, and have a cooperative work experience of at least one
quarter working in an area correctional facility.
Where will I find a job in corrections?
There is a good job market for graduates, especially in the more populated areas on the coast and with the state correctional systems in
Idaho and Washington. Jail facilities in Washington, Idaho and Montana have been expanding in recent years, which increases job
opportunities for correctional officers.
Since correctional facilities are on line 24 hours every day, one aspect of the profession is shift work. A second is that since there are
not many success stories in correctional facilities, and employee's satisfaction must come from learning about people and enjoying
responsibility.
Starting salaries vary from $1,800 to $2,000 per month, and within a few years they typically increase to $2,600 per month. With the
coming decade of growth, pay is expected to continue to improve and job advancement opportunities should be frequent.
As the population of prisons has reached record numbers today - and the experts predict these numbers will continue to rise - the
employment outlook for correctional officers will continue to be good.