Recruitment and Training of Corrections Officers - Research Paper Example

? Recruitment and Training of Correction Officers Correctional work can be a very challenging and interesting career; many opportunities for advancement, generous benefits packages, excellent training and the ability to be a crucial part of the criminal justice system means this could be the perfect position for an individual looking to start an initial career, expand on a similar career, or change careers. Most States require an initial passing mark on a written form of test while also requiring an individual to attend what is known as Academy in order to train for a position in corrections. A combination of written book work and physical training and testing demonstrating stamina, endurance and the physical ability are required before an individual can become a certified corrections officer. Correction Officer Recruitment has also recently taken a focus on minority and women, matching the national trend, and creating committee’s in order to better facilitate this. Correctional work has certain job requirements listed within the application procedure but if you are able to complete correctional officer training and the physical skills successfully then you will surely be able to perform the duties of the job. Correctional Officer’s make up the largest part of the Department of Justice’s work force. There are several initial qualifications you must meet to begin the correctional officer application process. With the oldest starting age allowed for a correctional officer in the federal sector being thirty seven and Public Law 101-509 requiring an officer to retire at age 57 (BOP, Employment) there is ample time for this to be a great career after retirement from another government field such as the military. You can actually begin your lengthy application process when you are six months away from getting out of the military were that to be your circumstance though your military time will not count in your retirement from corrections as federal time. A Bachelor’s degree or at least three years general experience operating in a position which provides guidance, instruction, counseling, supervising, teaching or selling is required if you are applying in a federal position. You need to be able to supervise others obviously, communicate verbally and react quickly in a crisis (BOP, Career Opportunities), There is also a lower or more beginning level at which you may apply for a federal position which decreases the amount of experience you need to one year and education requirement to 14 credit hours in a position related to corrections or law in some way. Either of these requirements are easy for most individuals to meet due to job experience being as it is, this is designed so that younger men and women also have the opportunity to begin a career in corrections who may not have years of job experience or may be fresh college graduate with no experience. These statutory requirements were created after legislative acts designed to improve the quality of correctional officer skills and abilities. Criticism states that these requirements are ‘a poor device in upgrading such personnel,’ meaning correctional officers, ‘and may undermine the process.’(Perlman). The State of Georgia requires only US citizenship, the age of at least 18, no felony convictions and a diploma or GED. They also have physical requirements, similar to federal corrections; the ability to see colors, adequate physical condition, vision of at least 20/40, and hearing loss of no more than 24 decibels (Georgia Department of Corrections). They will then be required to complete a four week basic training, be subject to extensive criminal and background checks, drugs screening, medical exam, a review of their driving history and any other requirements that the facility may need from you, (name change proofs, letters explaining misdemeanors in the past, etc). Those applying who have been in the military are eligible for increased pay as are those who are able to communicate in Spanish. Before being accepted into the Correctional Institute you are first required to pass satisfactorily a written test involving a situational video, a reading section and a counting section. Georgia unfortunately has a high rate of turnover in corrections employees, with that rate being at 20.45% in 2004, closely matching that of Texas (Udechukwu). Two elements were attributed to this using entry and exit surveys of correctional officers, organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Furthermore, 41% left corrections for other opportunities, 13% due to job security, 11% for leave availability,10% left for health insurance reasons. 14% states they simply did not like the agency due to infrequent pay increases while 13% felt they were not rewarded and 12% felt there entry salary was too low for what the position entailed (Udechukwu). This study further elaborated and identified indicators of which employees were more likely to leave the job. Organizational commitment attempts to break down and explain an individual’s commitment level to a position in different ways, therefor being used to foretell of that individual’s satisfaction in the job position and their predispositions to leave the job. Affective commitment is the emotional attachment an officer feels to their job, those with emotional attachments stay with the job because ‘they want to’ (Udechukwu). Continuance commitment causes officers to remain because they ‘need to’ and realize the costs and repercussions in leaving. Normative commitment is the feeling of ‘obligation.’ According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics there are approximately 457,550 correction officers and jailers. The lowest 10 percent of these have an average annual pay rate of $26,040 while the median pay rate is $39,040 with the upper limit being $67,250. In a 1988 -2000 analysis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics report correctional officers were the fastest growing careers at 114% with other industry’s projected to be 41% (Brisco). Prison populations and the increase in crime rates are the factor in these statistics. The labor force, along with corrections specifically is becoming more diverse. The 2012 employment projections show a decrease in white males with an increase in women and minorities. This is an accurate representation of national diversity as well. Four approaches were suggested to increase this diversity in correctional officer recruitment. One, create diversity management task forces with minority representatives to address diversity issues with the correctional officer area, two, increase the visibility of minority group correctional officers by establishing prevention programs in heavy areas of crime. Three, create neighborhood associations that will allow corrections employees to interact with citizens and five, encourage corrections staff to interact more directly with the community (Brisco). Juvenile correction centers are well known for having smaller budgets hence less training before an officer is ‘placed on the job.’ In Idaho Director Jett made new policy essentially requiring officers to commit to a thirteen week training program after they have completed the standard three week program, feeling that more training would better prepare the officer. In this program, at the Peace Officers Training facility, POST, they are guided, scrutinized and criticized at every step. They use various shifts, classroom instruction and physical skills instruction, having physical abilities they must be able to meet to complete the program successfully and be placed on the job (Brown). Training for a correction officer combines book work with physical training that prepares them physically for any situation they may encounter on the job. An officer will be taught subjects such as laws of arrest, effective use of force, the disciplinary process, restraint devices, prison gangs, searches and about victims of crime (Correctional officer Training). This list is not all-inclusive however in the many subjects that a correctional officer will be taught during training. Training with firearms, chemical agents and arrest and detaining orocedures are also taught to the Officer and are skills that must be demonstrated before an officer can become licensed. The New York physical abilities test lists very specifically, as do most training programs, what skills or physical abilities an individual must demonstrate to complete the academy (Requirements). Loading and unloading a firearm, timed and untimed, climbing up and down a ladder, and transporting a dummy weighing 160 lbs. are expected abilities for an officer during this test. The Idaho Department of Corrections requires that an individual be able to apply and remove restraints, conduct strip searches and demonstrate the use of pressure point control, transport inmate and supervise inmates. The working environment of a correctional officer can be and usually is an environment with a high level of stress. Inmate demands and manipulation are constant; problems with coworkers and the threat of inmate violence are ever looming factors adding to an employee’s stress level. Keeping good employee’s once they are found is just as important in corrections as the initial recruitment and training of officers. Understaffing and shift work are frequent complaints of correctional officers. Correctional officers may exhibit both emotional and physical symptoms as a direct result of this stress. Health problems then become an issue for the correction department. This stress is known to be a factor in the high turnover in correctional officers and training and investment in the officer becomes a financial loss for the department of corrections. The Family Support Program (CLEFS) was passed in 1994 as a result of these factors (Childress). This allowed the Department of justice to receive monetary grants in order to research and determine best ways to minimize and reduce this. Some research areas that received these grants were ‘rookie stress inoculation counseling,’ peer support services, and ‘development of train the stressor stress education programs.’ It is only in recent years that correctional officer stress is being recognized as a serious factor in retention, police officer stress has long been recognized as a serious factor in an the individuals health and life. As a correctional officer you will interact with people, primarily inmates, 100% of the time in your job. You will be required to wear a correctional officer uniform identifying you as an officer. Usually once you have been in your position and demonstrated your abilities and responsibility and reliability you will be able to begin moving up the chain of command by putting your request or application in when there are desirable positions available. It is possible for you to become Lieutenant or Sargent which are positions of more authority over correctional officers with more administrative duties. These career opportunities come with increases in pay and a change in stress factors obviously. Other promotion possibilities include captain and associate or assistant warden. These positions will usually require you to continue and/or complete education in order to receive a degree if you do not already have one (Department). Becoming a Sargent will give you more responsibility and require that you supervise correctional officers as well as inmates and you will be assigned more difficult duties. A lieutenant officer is a second line supervisor and given charge of entire areas with the prison. As you can imagine an increase in pay and promotion to a position of more authority can add to factors already mentioned which cause an individual to leave corrections. An individual showing emotional attachment to their position, genuinely enjoying their work despite stress, are good candidates for future promotions and moving up the chain of command. Conclusion Should you decide a job in corrections is something you are interested I it is important to be aware of the conditions that you will be working in. Constant stress, physical demands at times, remaining alert and aware of all activities around you and working shift work are just some of the factors you will need to remember and consider when deciding on corrections. The hiring process can take many months, and then you must complete academy training which means that you will be waiting a start date until you are enrolled. These said corrections are not a job that you start quickly, like any other skill requiring you to become licensed and knowledgeable in a certain field. Getting through the Academy and its physical demands may put off some people from entering corrections though the physical training is much more difficult than the physical test or ultimate requirements. The everyday stress causes many to leave corrections and you should be an individual who has a high tolerance for stressful situations. Understaffing may mean you will be required to work overtime in some instances or at an assignment on the compound that you are not familiar with. You should carefully consider and research corrections and its many aspects before applying. Corrections also have many benefits and rewards. Corrections is one of the few departments that has not reduced or cut benefits, and retirement programs in most states are flexible, allowing retirement after only a short number of years if they meet certain guidelines. Though job stability has been shown as a factor in some instances of the high turnover rate, most States do not have frequent correction layoffs due to the ever increasing rate of inmate crime. Many employees feel a great sense of satisfaction to be involved in the criminal justice system and in a position to make a difference. References BOP: Career Opportunities - Correctional Officer. (2011). BOP: Federal Bureau of Prisons Web Site. Retrieved December 16, 2011, from http://www.bop.gov/jobs/job_descriptions/correctional_officer.jsp BOP: Employment Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs). (2011). BOP: Federal Bureau of Prisons Web Site. Retrieved December 16, 2011, from http://www.bop.gov/jobs/faqs/index.jsp Brisco, W. (2004). Minority Recruitment For the 21st Century. Corrections Today, 66(5), 128. Brown, S. (2010). Training Program Holds Officers Accountable. Corrections Today, 72(3), 74. Childress, R. (1999). Fighting the Enemy Within: Helping Officers Deal With Stress. Corrections Today, 61(7), 70. Correctional Officer Training. (2011). State of California. Retrieved December 16, 2011, from http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Career_Opportunities/POR/COTraining.html Correctional Officers and Jailers. (2011). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved December 16, 2011, from http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes333012.htm Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. (n.d.). State of California. Retrieved December 16, 2011, from http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Career_Opportunities/POR/FAQ.html Georgia Department of Corrections. (2011). Department of Corrections. Retrieved December 16, 2011, from http://www.dcor.state.ga.us/pdf/CorrectionalOfficerBrochure.pdf Physical AgilityStandards. (2011). Idaho Department of Corrections. Retrieved December 16, 2011, from http://www.idoc.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/webfm/documents/careers/IDOCPhysicalAgilityStandards.pdf Requirements for Physical Agility Test for Correction Officer Trainee. (2011). NYS Department of Civil Service. Retrieved December 16, 2011, from http://www.cs.ny.gov/ehs/agilities/ag_1_correction_officer_description.pdf Udechukwu, I., Harrington, W., Manyak, T., Segal, S., & Graham, S. (2007). The Georgia Department of Corrections: An Exploratory Reflection on Correctional Officer Turnover and its Correlates. Public Personnel Management, 36(3), 247-268. Read More