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33-3012.00 - 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.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
1
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
457,600
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
474,700
Estimate
Change in Employment
+17,100
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+3.7%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Guard facility entrances to screen visitors.
  • Take prisoners into custody and escort to locations within and outside of facility, such as visiting room, courtroom, or airport.
  • Use weapons, handcuffs, and physical force to maintain discipline and order among prisoners.
  • Conduct fire, safety, and sanitation inspections.
  • Provide to supervisors oral and written reports of the quality and quantity of work performed by inmates, inmate disturbances and rule violations, and unusual occurrences.
  • Settle disputes between inmates.
  • Assign duties to inmates, providing instructions as needed.
  • Issue clothing, tools, and other authorized items to inmates.
  • Maintain records of prisoners' identification and charges.
  • Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present.
  • 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.
  • Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes.
  • Record information, such as prisoner identification, charges, and incidents of inmate disturbance, keeping daily logs of prisoner activities.
  • Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs.
  • Participate in required job training.
  • Serve meals, distribute commissary items, and dispense prescribed medication to prisoners.
  • Counsel inmates and respond to legitimate questions, concerns, and requests.
  • Use nondisciplinary tools and equipment, such as a computer.
Supplemental
  • Search for and recapture escapees.
  • Inspect mail for the presence of contraband.
  • Drive passenger vehicles and trucks used to transport inmates to other institutions, courtrooms, hospitals, and work sites.
  • Arrange daily schedules for prisoners, including library visits, work assignments, family visits, and counseling appointments.
  • Investigate crimes that have occurred within an institution, or assist police in their investigations of crimes and inmates.
  • Supervise and coordinate work of other correctional service officers.
  • Sponsor inmate recreational activities, such as newspapers and self-help groups.
  • Process or book convicted individuals into prison.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 95%
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 Law and Government
  • 77%
    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 English Language
  • 76%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Clerical
  • 69%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Administration and Management
  • 68%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 68%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Psychology
  • 67%
    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
 Transportation
  • 65%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 64%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Education and Training
  • 60%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Telecommunications
  • 58%
    Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
 Sociology and Anthropology
  • 58%
    Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
 Mathematics
  • 55%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Communications and Media
  • 51%
    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
 Personnel and Human Resources
  • 51%
    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
 Therapy and Counseling
  • 51%
    Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Exterior lighting fixtures and accessories
  • Law enforcement flashlights
 Restraints and accessories
  • Prisoner transport belts
  • Leg irons
 Personal communication devices
  • Mobile radios
 Computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Data collectors
  • Desktop computers
  • Personal computers
  • Tablet computers
 Computer data input devices
  • Radio frequency identification RFID devices
 Firearms
  • Law enforcement shotguns
  • Law enforcement rifles
  • Electroshock weapons
  • Law enforcement handguns
 Crowd control equipment
  • Riot protection helmets
  • Tactical riot shields
  • Lower body armor
  • Upper body armor
  • Expandable batons
 Security and control equipment
  • Metal handcuffs
 Surveillance and detection equipment
  • Surveillance cameras
 Safety apparel
  • Stab proof vests
  • Cut resistant gloves
 Vision protection and accessories
  • Protective safety glasses
 Hearing protectors
  • Hearing protection plugs
 Respiratory protection
  • Protective gas masks
  • Air-supplying respirators
 Fire fighting equipment
  • Emergency fire extinguishers
  • Emergency fire hoses
  • Firefighting respirators
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft WordHOT
  • Word processing software
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • FacebookHOT
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
 Content management software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe AcrobatHOT
 Data management and query software
  • Corrections housing software
  • 3M Electronic Monitoring
  • Guardian RFID
  • Jail management software
  • Microsoft AccessHOT
 Network applications software
  • Web browser software
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Brightpoint Community College
 Programs
Central Virginia Community College
 Programs
Germanna Community College
 Programs
Mountain Empire Community College
 Programs
Northern Virginia Community College
 Programs
Paul D. Camp Community College
 Programs
Rappahannock Community College
 Programs
Southside Virginia Community College
 Programs
Tidewater Community College
 Programs
Virginia Highlands Community College
 Programs
Virginia Western Community College
 Programs
Wytheville Community College
 Programs
Jobs
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Jobs related to this career may be found on Indeed.com or on the Google Job Search page.