Chapter 8: Corrections

1. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Sage Publications Inc. 1

2. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections • Corrections involves supervising juveniles and adults who have been arrested for criminal offenses, as well as those convicted or sentenced at later stages. • It is more than just being guards, keeping the prisoners safe and preventing escape. • The system as a whole contributes to a safer community Sage Publications Inc. 2

3. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections The correctional system includes: • The rehabilitation of prisoners who will inevitably be released. • Supervision of those sentenced to community programs. • Determination and supervision of those who receive parole. • Supervision of those who receive alternative sentences. Sage Publications Inc. 3

4. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Covering all of these responsibilities gives rise to a variety of positions, such as: • State Correction Officer, • County Correctional Officer, • City Jail Detention Officer, • Probation Officer, • Parole Officer, • Juvenile Detention Officer, • Correction Advisor, • Treatment Officer, • Corrections Counselor, • Juvenile Review and Release Specialist, • Community Corrections Officer, • Warden. Sage Publications Inc. 4

5. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer Being a correctional officer for a state prison, or a detention officer for a county or city, is a law enforcement type of job with arrest powers and the authority for use of force. The Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) employs over 10,000 professionals. To work for ADC, you need to be 21 years old and have a high school diploma or GED. Sage Publications Inc. 5

6. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • You would need to be a U.S. citizen, possess a valid Arizona driver’s license, and have no felony convictions. • Your first step in the hiring process would be an entrance exam. • You would be assessed through written and oral tests in the areas of general knowledge, human relations, reading comprehension, observation, communication skills, and your ability to follow directions. Sage Publications Inc. 6

7. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • You would also be asked to submit your proof of age, residency, diploma, and possession of a driver’s license. • The next step is to pass a medical examination covering hearing, vision, lab work, and medical history. • The following step in the process is the physical fitness test in which you would need to meet the minimum standards of aerobic fitness, muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility. Sage Publications Inc. 7

8. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • To accomplish this you might do exercises, such as push-ups, sit-ups, a lift of a certain weight, a stretch test, and a stair step test. • The next test would be the psychological assessment to determine if you fit the profile of a successful correctional officer. • A psychologist evaluates these tests and if there are any discrepancies, the psychologist has the empowerment to retest you. Sage Publications Inc. 8

9. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • The final step is the drug screening. • When you take your first exam you would be asked to sign a consent form for the screening and would later take that test once you are contacted and asked to appear. • For this you are given 48 hours in which to complete the drug screening test. Sage Publications Inc. 9

10. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • Correctional officers attend an academy, which is usually much shorter than police academies. • The Arizona Correctional Officer’s Training Academy (CODA), which is located in the foothills of Tucson, Arizona, is a seven week live-in academy where room and board is provided for the recruits. • While you attend the academy you receive a salary and benefits. Sage Publications Inc. 10

11. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • The training curricula at CODA is divided into nine basic areas, which are ethics and professionalism, inmate management, legal issues, communications, officer safety, applied skills, security custody and control, conflict and crisis management, and medical and mental health issues. • Trainees are tested weekly through various assessment exercises. Sage Publications Inc. 11

12. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • A vital component of the training is physical fitness in which participation is mandatory. • There are standards you must meet for aerobic, muscular, and flexibility requirements. • Firearm and self defense classes are taught at the academy in hopes of keeping the public, staff, and inmates safe. • To graduate you would have to demonstrate efficiency in self defense. Sage Publications Inc. 12

13. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • As part of the firearms educations, you would be trained in chemical agents, use of force, and target identification and discrimination. • A key ingredient to the training at CODA is on-the-job experience. • Midway through the seven-week training, you would be assigned to an institution in which you are shown a glimpse of the duties and responsibilities of a professional correctional officer. Sage Publications Inc. 13

14. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • Once out of the academy, with a salary between $32,916 - $39,664, you would be assigned to one of the 10 ADC facility in Arizona and start your career. • Your job would be to maintain order in an institution satiated with disorderly guests. • You would do more than just watch for problems to occur. Sage Publications Inc. 14

15. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • Inmates are better off being active, so you would be supervising work activities and other organized affairs. • You would find yourself settling disputes and enforcing rules while conducting searches and moving prisoners to their destinations, such as visitations, court or parole hearings, or medical needs. Sage Publications Inc. 15

16. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • If you lean towards becoming a Correctional Officer, you will be more successful if you have the “gift of gab.” • Just as police officers need to be good actors and deceivers, Correctional Officers need to be able to work with brilliant deceivers while being genuine, firm, and respectable. • Most inmates are willing to conform to the rules and verbal commands if they feel respected. Sage Publications Inc. 16

17. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • If your long range goal is law enforcement with a city, county, state, or federal agency, correctional work gives you an opportunity for relevant experience. • You will acquire valuable practice in communicating with your superiors, peers, and criminals. • You will have a lead on most police academy recruits in the area of officer safety and use of force strategies. Sage Publications Inc. 17

18. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • If your initial dream job is a police officer, but you have used too many drugs or committed too many crimes to qualify, you may find satisfaction in a correctional job. • In police work you are often (but not always) given a polygraph test and you are faced with mandatory reporting of every crime you ever committed. • To work for ADC, you are not required to take a polygraph test, and the criminal history requirement is “no felony conviction.” Sage Publications Inc. 18

19. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections State Correctional officer • The department will do a thorough background check in hopes of weeding out any bad apples, but just like corruption that ultimately surfaces in police departments, there are correctional officers who commit vile acts, such as smuggling in contraband, or physically and sexually abusing inmates. • Agencies do their best to find model employees. Sage Publications Inc. 19

20. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections County Detention Officer • Detention officers work in county jails. • People arrested by county officers and those arrested by state or city departments (and not released within 24 hours) are normally housed in county jails while awaiting their case resolution. • County jails also house criminals sentenced to one year or less. Sage Publications Inc. 20

21. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections County Detention Officer • If you worked as a Detention Officer for Guilford County Sheriff’s Department in Greensboro, North Carolina, you would monitor inmates to ensure a safe and secure environment for sheriff’s office personnel, civilian staff, and those incarcerated. • Your pay range would be $33,963 - $45,850, but there are also some incentives that can boost your salary. • You would be paid extra for a Bachelor’s degree, Spanish fluency, military service, and rotating shifts. Sage Publications Inc. 21

22. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections County Detention Officer • The qualifications to work for Guilford County include: • Be a citizen of the United States and at least 21 years of age at time of employment. • Be a resident of Guilford County, or one of the contiguous counties. • Be able to perform all of the essential job functions of an inexperienced officer (unassisted) at a pace and level of performance consistent with the actual job requirements. Sage Publications Inc. 22

23. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections County Detention Officer • The qualifications to work for Guilford County include: • High School Graduate or G.E.D and weight proportionate with height. • Pass a drug test and a complete medical examination by a licensed physician, including psychological testing and evaluation. • Pass a comprehensive background investigation by the sheriff's office, which includes work history, fingerprints, and photograph. Sage Publications Inc. 23

24. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections County Detention Officer • The qualifications to work for Guilford County include: • Candidate must be of good moral character and must not have been convicted of a felony or a serious misdemeanor by a local, state, federal, or military court. • Applicants must not currently be in bankruptcy or have unpaid past due accounts or judgments. Sage Publications Inc. 24

25. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections County Detention Officer • The hiring process for Guilford County S.D. begins with an application, either on-line or in writing. • The next steps include orientation, physical fitness test, written test, oral interview, background investigation, psychological exam, and medical exam. • Guilford County S.D. does not require a polygraph for their detention officers or deputies. Sage Publications Inc. 25

26. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • Police procedures require certain suspects to be handcuffed and transported to the police station for further follow up. • Police departments need the ability to temporarily detain those who are arrested during routine police work. • At the station an officer needs to be able to make phone calls, collect records, run computer queries, interview victims, witnesses, and suspects, eat lunch, and use the restroom. Sage Publications Inc. 26

27. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • Leaving a suspect unsupervised is usually unauthorized and can be unsafe to the prisoner and co-workers. • About half of the police departments in the United States employ fewer than 10 sworn personnel, thus making it unlikely they have a full time jail. • The smaller police departments often get by with lockable interview rooms or holding cells. Sage Publications Inc. 27

28. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • Officers depend on each other to watch arrestees while they move around the building to accomplish routine tasks. • The larger departments that can afford a full time jail are also taxed with the expenditure for a full time jail staff. • City jailers take on a huge responsibility as they process prisoners, attend to prisoner’s needs, and transport them to court or county jail. • This type of work isn’t for everyone. Sage Publications Inc. 28

29. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • Jailers face the possibility of assaults from prisoners just like county detention officers and correctional officers. • City jailers search prisoners (already searched once by officers), finding drugs and dangerous weapons hidden under clothing, under the hair, and in body cavities. • Prisoners sometimes escape from jailers, usually during court transports. Sage Publications Inc. 29

30. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • Prisoners in city jails have been killed during fights with each other, during fights with officers, and by suicide. • Each time an incident like this happens, city departments face possible payouts in law suit settlements. Sage Publications Inc. 30

31. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • To work as a city jailer in Avondale, Arizona, you would provide care, custody, and control of inmates in city jail. • You would transport inmates (adults and juvenile) and their property to proper locations ensuring that documentation is completed properly, administer work furlough, and work inmate programs at the discretion of the supervisor. • You would complete all bookings and processes for newly arrested subjects on misdemeanor or felony offenses. Sage Publications Inc. 31

32. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • You would maintain proper accountability and use of supplies for staff and inmate population. • You would have full responsibility for a clean, safe environment of the jail. • You would conduct numerous counts of the inmate population, conduct fire and safety inspections, and ensure that inmates are released appropriately. Sage Publications Inc. 32

33. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • Your responsibility would include supervision of visitations, notification of the victims when the inmate is released, warrant pick-ups, and servicing Orders of Protection and Injunctions against Harassment. • As a jailer you would assist in the functions of patrol units to pick-up and transport prisoners when required. • You would assist the general public with their questions regarding the status of housed inmates. Sage Publications Inc. 33

34. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • You would direct callers to appropriate agencies and provide notary service for patrol when juveniles are referred. • Your job duties would include maintaining daily logs of shift activities and creating and maintaining arrest files on all prisoners processed through the police department. • Processing prisoners would include paperwork, searching for contraband, fingerprinting, interviewing for any medical conditions, packaging prisoner property, and taking photos. Sage Publications Inc. 34

35. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • You would need to ensure timely court appearances for all prisoners, escort prisoners to city court for appearances, prepare bond receipts, and collect bonds. • You would supervise inmate visitation by contacting visitors, making sure they are allowed to visit, checking visitors for warrants and contraband, supervising actual visits, tracking number of visitors per inmate, searching inmate upon returning to jail, and performing interviews as required. Sage Publications Inc. 35

36. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • The Jailer also purchases food and prepares meals for inmates. • The Jailer handles inmate work details by classifying inmates (often called trustees) that are allowed to work, instructing what is expected of them, and transporting inmates to off site locations. • They may respond to various locations to assist patrol or detectives on scene by taking custody of prisoners from actual scenes. Sage Publications Inc. 36

37. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • Qualifications for most Jailer positions include:  High school diploma or GED, no felony convictions, and no dishonorable discharge from the U.S. Armed Forces. • Any equivalent combination of experience, education, or training, which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. • Must obtain Terminal Operator Certification, CPR, First Aid, and Impact Weapons and Firearms Certifications. Sage Publications Inc. 37

38. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • Must pass the physical fitness test, panel interview, extensive background investigation, polygraph examination, psychological evaluation, medical exam, and pre-employment drug test. • Candidates with prior experience may provide a valid diploma from an approved Correctional/Detention Officer Academy, or proof of comparable tenure and law enforcement experience as a certified peace officer. Sage Publications Inc. 38

39. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections City Jailer • The physical fitness test for Avondale Jailer position includes a pass/fail 1.5 mile run in 14:15 minutes, 23 pushups in one minute, and 31 sit-ups in one minute. • These physical fitness tests are the minimum requirements to pass, but the Cooper Age and Gender Base Standards for Law Enforcement are used to determine an overall fitness percentage that will be averaged. • The pay for this position is $18.05 - $26.17 hourly Sage Publications Inc. 39

40. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Police Service Officer • Some smaller agencies combine different positions together in order to accomplish their needs within the scope of the available budget. • In Killeen, Texas the Jailer is also a detective and communications specialist. • This position is titled Police Service Officer. Sage Publications Inc. 40

41. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Police Service Officer • This person has the following responsibilities: • Receives initial reports, via phone or in person, of potential offenses from citizens. • Documents initial reports using accepted law enforcement report writing techniques. • Interviews victims to document initial reports to assist the officer in developing leads and tips and interviews witnesses and takes statements of crimes reported. Sage Publications Inc. 41

42. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Police Service Officer • Additional responsibilities include: • Notarizes complaints and statements. • Analyzes and evaluates information reported and determines if reported offenses are a violation of a civil and/or penal code. • Summons ambulances and law enforcement officers as needed. Sage Publications Inc. 42

43. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Police Service Officer • Investigates and prepares initial report for minor vehicular damage reported. • Prepares criminal cases for giving testimony and provides testimony in court proceedings. • Carries out duties in compliance with federal, state, county, and city laws and ordinances. • Provides citizens with assistance with matters, such as crime prevention, drug abuse resistance education, and traffic safety. Sage Publications Inc. 43

44. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Police Service Officer • Maintains communication and coordination with other law enforcement agencies regarding the location of wanted persons and service of their warrants. • Books, searches, and releases prisoners, maintaining security in the jail. • Administers and supervises meal time feeding, visitation, counseling, and work assigned to prisoners, monitoring all phone calls and jail access and egress. Sage Publications Inc. 44

45. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Police Service Officer • Responds to and investigates incidents, crimes, disturbances, disputes, fights, and abuse of drugs, among prisoners, taking appropriate action, which includes physical restraint. • Responsible for answering questions from bondsmen, lawyers, family members, and courts. Sage Publications Inc. 45

46. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Police Service Officer • Provides backup in performing responsibilities as a Communications Officer. • Includes entering data into the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) for Bell County Communications Center (BCCC) and operation of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and Texas Crime Information Center (TCIC) terminal. • May assist in training of new personnel as they are hired. Sage Publications Inc. 46

47. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Police Service Officer • You qualify for this position if you have a high school diploma or GED and are able to complete the 200-hour Public Service Officer Training Course. • You would also have to undergo a security clearance, a background check, a psychological test, a polygraph test, and be able to obtain a notary license. Sage Publications Inc. 47

48. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Police Service Officer • Within the first year of employment you would have to obtain a Department of Public Safety Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (TLETS) terminal operator certificate and 911 training. • You could not have been convicted of or placed on court ordered community supervision or probation for any offense above a class B misdemeanor or for a class B misdemeanor within the last 10 years. • This position pays $13.57 per hour. Sage Publications Inc. 48

49. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Parole / Probation Officer • Probation officers supervise convicted criminals that were originally sentenced to probation in lieu of jail or prison. • Parole officers supervise those who serve time in prison and receive an early release. • Other than that, both jobs are much the same. • There is a lot of autonomy and empowerment with these positions. Sage Publications Inc. 49

50. Careers in Criminal Justice • Chapter 8: Corrections Parole / Probation Officer • Some agencies require their probation and parole officers to carry firearms. • The expectations of this work include keeping the public safe from harm, holding the offenders accountable, and helping them succeed. • Like many government jobs, the pay is mediocre and the workload is massive. Sage Publications Inc. 50