Becoming A Correctional Officer

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Halt! Stop in the name of the law. Imagine being able to yell that at a fleeing person. For this student this is something to dream about but dreams do come true and becoming a correctional officer is a great dream or career choice. Becoming a correctional officer is no easy task. In this paper the definition of a corrections officer will be explained, history of corrections will be discussed, where corrections officers work, as well as physical qualities needed, and training, salary and job outlook. Definition of a correction officer is "a person who serves as the voice of authority, while also ensuring the safety and welfare of prisoners. These courageous law enforcement professionals disrupt violent confrontations, ensure order and also…show more content…
You cannot have serious felonies or misdemeanors and no convictions, candidates must have a good financial history, have a bachelor's degree or have three years of full time experience in emergency response, security, sales, child care, teaching, management or counseling. You also have to have a high school diploma or something equivalent such as the GED. A more qualified applicant would be a person who has had experience in the field of corrections, working in detentions, police work or in mental health field these people would be able to be hired at a higher salary than those with no experience. A person may also apply with nine semester hours of graduate schooling if they studied criminal justice, social science, or law and they would also be hired at a better pay rate. Those apply will take an assessment (CSI) basic skills test, physical agility test, interview background check and drug screening. They physical agility test is a course whit the participant must go through to become an officer. This course has obstacles a corrections officer will have to learn to overcome, such as descriptions of a suspect, being able to identify a suspect, having the ability to apprehend a suspect and do it in a certain manner abiding by the lay, if one course exceeds over three minutes there is one retry allowed but one only if the participant wishes to have a job in the correctional system the physical agility test must be completed in order to continue with the hiring procedure. Another qualification of being a correction officer is going through training, the divisions training academy. One of the training academies is located in Glenville West Virginia there is two basic trainings that run simultaneously throughout the year. The academy runs for six weeks, eight hours a day. By the time of completion students should have all the

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