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Correctional Officers and Jailers
Guard inmates in penal or rehabilitative institutions in accordance with established regulations and procedures. May guard prisoners in transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other point. Includes deputy sheriffs and police who spend the majority of their time guarding prisoners in correctional institutions.
Other titles employers use
Booking Officer · Community Services Officer (CSO) · Correctional Officer · Corrections Officer (CO) · Deputy Jailer · Detention Deputy · Detention Officer · Jail Officer
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present.
- Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes.
- Monitor conduct of prisoners in housing unit, or during work or recreational activities, according to established policies, regulations, and procedures, to prevent escape or violence.
- Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs.
- Guard facility entrances to screen visitors.
- Record information, such as prisoner identification, charges, and incidents of inmate disturbance, keeping daily logs of prisoner activities.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical, organizing and helping work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
Subjects to know
- Public Safety and Security
- English Language
- Law and Government
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
Useful strengths
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 4.2 | Arm’s length or closer, most of the day |
| On your feet | 3.4 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 4.9 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 3.7 | Some of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 92%
- A two-year degree 8%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Data base user interface and query software
- Document management software
- Web page creation and editing software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Word processing software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 40,290
- Job openings each year
- 3,420
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- −2.4%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 40,290 | 3,420 | −2.4% |
| New York | 37,010 | 300 | 8.8% |
| California | 30,300 | 2,470 | −8.2% |
| Florida | 15,840 | 1,300 | −6.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 15,280 | 1,260 | −6.7% |
| North Carolina | 12,990 | 1,070 | −6.1% |
| Ohio | 12,480 | 1,010 | −9.0% |
| Illinois | 11,640 | 970 | −5.5% |
| Virginia | 11,410 | 950 | −5.0% |
| Georgia | 9,430 | 810 | −1.3% |
| Tennessee | 8,570 | 780 | 8.5% |
| Arizona | 8,180 | 700 | −1.7% |
| Washington | 8,100 | 820 | 9.6% |
| New Jersey | 7,930 | 640 | −8.9% |
| Colorado | 7,500 | 660 | 3.9% |
| Michigan | 6,890 | 540 | −11.7% |
| Indiana | 6,780 | 550 | −8.1% |
| Wisconsin | 6,080 | 490 | −8.6% |
| Louisiana | 5,520 | 460 | −5.0% |
| Maryland | 5,510 | 460 | −4.0% |
| Minnesota | 5,270 | 440 | −5.6% |
| Alabama | 5,120 | 420 | −6.4% |
| South Carolina | 5,060 | 430 | −1.4% |
| Missouri | 5,030 | 410 | −9.2% |
| Oregon | 4,800 | 410 | −1.2% |
| Oklahoma | 4,740 | 400 | −2.9% |
| Kentucky | 4,680 | 390 | −5.6% |
| Arkansas | 4,540 | 370 | −7.3% |
| Mississippi | 4,310 | 360 | −4.6% |
| Iowa | 3,200 | 270 | −5.0% |
| New Mexico | 3,150 | 270 | −2.8% |
| Kansas | 2,980 | 250 | −6.0% |
| Nevada | 2,940 | 240 | −7.0% |
| Massachusetts | 2,850 | 240 | −3.4% |
| Connecticut | 2,680 | 230 | −3.2% |
| West Virginia | 2,230 | 180 | −8.2% |
| Nebraska | 2,220 | 180 | −5.5% |
| Utah | 1,940 | 170 | 2.6% |
| Idaho | 1,740 | 140 | −6.5% |
| Delaware | 1,600 | 130 | −10.1% |
| South Dakota | 1,440 | 130 | 2.1% |
| Montana | 1,290 | 110 | — |
| Alaska | 1,240 | 110 | 1.6% |
| Maine | 1,090 | 90 | −9.2% |
| North Dakota | 1,060 | 90 | −7.0% |
| Wyoming | 910 | 80 | −5.2% |
| New Hampshire | 770 | 70 | −7.2% |
| Vermont | 450 | 40 | 2.3% |
| Guam | 160 | 10 | −11.1% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- Degrees each year
- 1,454
- Admit rate
- 57%
- Annual cost after aid
- $7,000
Southern New Hampshire University
- Degrees each year
- 895
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $37,000
Sam Houston State University
- Degrees each year
- 888
- Admit rate
- 85%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
Liberty University
- Degrees each year
- 572
- Admit rate
- 99%
- Annual cost after aid
- $27,000
Florida State University
- Degrees each year
- 554
- Admit rate
- 25%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
California State University-Sacramento
- Degrees each year
- 539
- Admit rate
- 94%
- Annual cost after aid
- $9,000
Florida International University
- Degrees each year
- 492
- Admit rate
- 59%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- Degrees each year
- 476
- Admit rate
- 85%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000
Compare every college offering criminal justice and corrections