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WHAT IS A
CORRECTIONS OFFICER ?

Overview

       The United States ranks 1st among industrialized nations in regards to incarceration level according the King’s College of London International Center on Prison Studies. Worldwide King’s College estimates that 8.75 million people are in penal institutions.  Nearly 2.2 million of those individuals are in jail or prison in the United States.  Correctional officers are responsible for overseeing the operations of Federal and State prisons, County and Municipal jails, as well as local jails and lock-ups which house these 2.2 million people. 
        The primary role of the Correction Officer is to supervise individuals who have been arrested and are awaiting trial, or who have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to serve time in a jail, reformatory, or penitentiary. They are responsible for maintaining the security of the facility, providing for the safe and humane housing of those incarcerated, as well as maintain  inmate accountability to prevent disturbances, assaults, or escapes.

The Profession

        Today there are about 3,300 jails in the United States.  75% of the facilities are under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff.  Jails deal with inmates that comprise a detention population that continually changes as some are released, some are convicted and transferred to prison, and new offenders are arrested and enter the system. Correctional officers in the U.S. jail system admit and process more than 11 million people a year, with about half a million offenders in jail at any given time.    

        It is difficult to explain the profession of Corrections Officer in brief.  One general overview recently reflected that the work of a Corrections Officer begins the moment an individual is incarcerated.  Hence CO's spend their entire day around people charged or convicted of criminal offenses by maintaining order in the detention facilities.  Here they monitor the activities of the inmates, assign work details, search for weapons and contraband, settle disputes, and enforce discipline.  Increasingly they supplement counseling that inmates receive from social workers, psychologists and other professionals.   In these detention environments Corrections Officers are constantly at risk for physical harm.  Often charged with the supervision of 60 inmates or more they are the front line in an often highly verbally abusive work environment, and sometimes physically violent confrontations between inmates to inmates, or inmates assaulting the officers themselves.  Many of the inmate have severe behavioral or emotional issues, many suffering from mental illness or developmental problems.  It is the often primary job of the CO to learn to communicate with and supervise such inmates, in a variety of situations, which is the key to success in this profession.  Being a Correction Officer is tough, but officers enjoy the challenge of this career.  They take pride in the service they provide to their community.  More the detention officer, they understand that their role is to work to rehabilitate inmates and bring them to more positive lives.  http://www3.ccps.virginia.edu/career_prospects/briefs/A-D/Corrections.shtml  

        Yet another approaches this career from another perspective by describing the daily duties of the Corrections Officer.  It reflects that Correctional officers usually work an 8-hour day, 5 days a week, on rotating shifts. Security must be provided around the clock, which often means that officers work all hours of the day and night, weekends, and holidays... "The primary role of correctional officers is to ensure order and security and enforce the policies and rules of the institution where they work. Officers observe actions and oversee task assigned to inmates in order to make certain inmates are obeying the rules. Officers may need to search inmates’ cells, confiscate drugs or weapons, enforce order, and resolve conflicts between inmates. Officers also help maintain the integrity of the holding facility by performing routine checks on doors, vents, windows, and locks. They also regularly look to ensure there are no fire hazards, unsafe conditions, or rule-breaking anywhere in the prison or jail. Correctional officers also examine inmates’ company and mail to make certain no banned objects enter the facility.  As part of their supervisory role, correctional officers make written and oral reports on inmate work and behavior. They also document conflicts, behavior discrepancies, hazards, and suspicious circumstances in a daily log and other specialized reports. Correctional officers must report every inmate who violates a rule without discretion or “playing favorites.” When necessary, correctional officers help look for prisoners who have escaped or help conduct investigations dealing with crimes that occur in their facility..."
http://www.careeroverview.com/corrections-officer-careers.html

History

        The profession of Corrections Officer is one of the oldest positions in the Criminal Justice system tracing its roots back to the establishment of jails (goals) by King Henry II in 1182. 
        Historically, until as late as the 1980's, many professionals viewed Corrections as an occupational field, not a profession.  The role of the institutions (jails, prisons) was to simply inflict punishment, and the role of the persons operating those facilities, known as "turn keys" or "guards", was simply custodial.  In a article from the Criminal Justice Review entitled "Is a Correction Officer by any other name a "screw' " by H. Toch it was written that the early history of the jail guard came from an impression that the job simply required "20/20 vision, the IQ of an imbecile, a high threshold for boredom, and a basement position in Maslow's heirarchy"
        However, in the past 30 years the "turn key", or "prison guard" has developed in to the profession of Correction Officer.  In Don Josi's book The Changing Career of the Corrections Officer he writes "the modern Correctional officer is the essential catalyst of change within the correctional process - knowledgeable, highly skilled, motivated and professional".

       Professionals in the field of Criminal Justice ( Judges, Prosecutors, Law Enforcement Officials, Public Defenders, Commissioners ... ) have come to realize that it is necessary in today's growing Correctional environment to hire, train and develop a professional, highly skilled staff of Corrections Officers.  Areas of training and development include: