How Do I Become a Corrections Officer?
A corrections officer is someone who works in a prison, overseeing the prisoners. Also called detention officers, correction officers are responsible for enforcing rules, supervising activities, and keeping everything running smoothly. They often work long hours, and the job is potentially dangerous. A corrections officer needs to be able to restrain a prisoner, usually unarmed, sometimes for several minutes until more help arrives, so an officer must be in great physical shape to be able to meet the requirements of the job. Most local and county prisons only require that an applicant has a high school degree and has passed a civil service exam before being hired on as a correction officer. Some states may also require physical, psychological, and drug testing. Applicants should be at least 18 with no prior felony convictions. Many states do a criminal background check before hiring new correction officers. Once deciding to become a corrections officer, the first step is to begin worki
Look at the state employment website for your state and do a department of corrections search. I work for the department of corrections in my state. I am not an officer but I work on the administration side of it. You will need to do a corretional academy that consists of ranges, physical testing, proper paper work and what not. You get a lot of heat for working in corrections, but you need to have some big balls to do it. You are in there with NO FORM of protections but yourself and the other officers in there. You are in there with DUI offenders but also murderers. It isn’t a bad career but I know it’s not for me. Good luck.
