Everything to Know About Becoming a Correctional Officer

Updated on 10/17/2022

If you are looking for a new career, then you should look at the nearby correctional facility options to see if they are looking for new employees. There is plenty that you are going to want to know about this job, including how much they make, what positions are going to be available, and information about other benefits when you stop working. Here is everything that you are going to want to know about this position, so keep reading on to know more. What is Required to Apply for Correctional Officer Jobs There are different things that you are going to need to know about the  correctional facility jobs and what might be required when you apply. Some of the main steps that are going to be done if you want to apply for this position include: Once you have gotten past all of this, then you can start to gain more and more experience by working in the prison. The more experience you have in the role, then the more you can earn promotions and start earning more money. However, there are also some positions that you might have held before that would help you to get one of the  correctional facility jobs  without needing a college degree, especially if you want to get a higher position than just starting out. Some of these jobs include the following: If you have any experience in these positions, then you can easily apply for one of these positions and get the higher ones without needing to have a bachelor’s degree. These positions can help you in terms of getting another job that is available at the same location or even having the required experience to help you gain a bit more seniority or pay increase. Salary and Benefit Information Another thing that most people want to know about is what are the correctional officer’s salaries and other benefits. The average wage for those who hold these positions is around 39,040backin2012,butthatwouldhaveincreasedovertheyears.Theemployeeswhowereinthelowest1039,040 back in 2012, but that would have increased over the years. The employees who were in the lowest 10% range of employees brought in around 27,000 while those who were in the top 10% bracket earn over 69,000.Theamountthatyouearnisdependentuponthenumberofhoursthatyouareworkingaweekandwhatlevelyouareat.Also,sinceyouareworkingforeitherafederalorastateprison,thenanotherthingyouaregoingtogetissomegreatinsurance.Oneofthebenefitsthatcomewith <ahref=" /">correctionalfacilityjobs</a>  isgettinggreatinsurancecoverageatlowerprices,whichwouldcarryoverintothetimewhenyouaren′tworking.Makesurethatyouarethinkingaboutthisbeforeyoustartapplyingforthepositionandthatyouconsiderwhatwouldbeneeded.CorrectionalOfficerResponsibilitiesandDutiesAnotherthingthatyouaregoingtoneedtoconsiderifyouareapplyingforoneofthemany correctionalfacilityjobs iswhataretheresponsibilitiesanddutiesofthisposition.Someoftheseinclude:•rehabilitationoftheoffendersTheseareonlyafewofthemanyresponsibilitiesthatyouwouldbeabletohavewhenitcomestoworkinginthisposition.Youshouldmakesurethatyouknowwhattheresponsibilitiesaregoingtobebeforeyouapplysothatyoucanbesureyoucanhandlethemandknowwhatyouwouldhavetodo.PromotionOpportunitiesTherearegoingtobeplentyofopportunitiesforyoutoincreaseyourcurrentorpotential correctionalofficer′ssalaries whenitcomestopromotions.Youmightstartoutinthelowestlevelofemployeepositions,butovertimeyoucangainseniorityinyourposition.Also,ifyoucontinueonwithyoureducation,thenyoucanlookatotherpositionswithinthesamearea,suchasnurse,doctor,wardenandmuchmore.Youshouldmakesurethatyouaresettinggoalsforwhatyouarelookingtodosothatyoucanincreasewhatyouareearningandgetabetterposition.InformationaboutPensionandRetirementThe correctionalofficerpensions aregoingtobebasedondifferentstaterequirementsandyoushouldaskaboutthisbeforeyouapply.However,thetypicaltimeperiodyouneedtoworkbeforeyoucanconsiderusingyour correctionalofficerretirementplan is20yearsorifyouare62yearsold,thenyouneedtohaveatleast10yearsworkingfortheprison.Theamountthatyouwouldgetwouldbebasedonyourexperiencelevelandwhatthedifferentlevelsofpaymentswouldbe.However,theaverageincomethatsomeonewhohasleftthejobwitharound20yearsofserviceisaround69,000. The amount that you earn is dependent upon the number of hours that you are working a week and what level you are at. Also, since you are working for either a federal or a state prison, then another thing you are going to get is some great insurance. One of the benefits that come with <a href=" /"> correctional facility jobs</a>  is getting great insurance coverage at lower prices, which would carry over into the time when you aren't working. Make sure that you are thinking about this before you start applying for the position and that you consider what would be needed. Correctional Officer Responsibilities and Duties Another thing that you are going to need to consider if you are applying for one of the many correctional facility jobs is what are the responsibilities and duties of this position. Some of these include: • rehabilitation of the offenders These are only a few of the many responsibilities that you would be able to have when it comes to working in this position. You should make sure that you know what the responsibilities are going to be before you apply so that you can be sure you can handle them and know what you would have to do. Promotion Opportunities There are going to be plenty of opportunities for you to increase your current or potential correctional officer's salaries when it comes to promotions. You might start out in the lowest level of employee positions, but over time you can gain seniority in your position. Also, if you continue on with your education, then you can look at other positions within the same area, such as nurse, doctor, warden and much more. You should make sure that you are setting goals for what you are looking to do so that you can increase what you are earning and get a better position. Information about Pension and Retirement The correctional officer pensions are going to be based on different state requirements and you should ask about this before you apply. However, the typical time period you need to work before you can consider using your correctional officer retirement plan is 20 years or if you are 62 years old, then you need to have at least 10 years working for the prison. The amount that you would get would be based on your experience level and what the different levels of payments would be. However, the average income that someone who has left the job with around 20 years of service is around 2,000. If you are thinking about having a career in this area you are going to need to know about the  correctional officer retirement plan . However, you should also know the responsibilities that you would have, including watching over the inmates, filing reports and much more. Ensure that you are thinking about this as a future career if you want to have a successful one and one that would have you the best in correctional officer pensions depending on the state and location that you are working for.