Before you begin your career as a corrections officer and start your correctional officer training, it would be a good idea to first understand what is involved in the career, to include what the skills and training requirements are needed to become a correctional officer.

A correctional officer’s job description can surely differ based on the type of facility they are applying to and the department in which they apply, whether it’s federal, state, or local facilities, but there are many similarities between all of these.

Correctional officers ensure the security and safety of our nation’s detention center facilities at the local, state, and federal levels. They are the men and women responsible for guarding people that have been arrested, or who have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to serve out a length of time in a correctional facility.

The primary function of a correctional officer is to maintain the safety, security, and inmate accountability in order to prevent any and all disturbances and violence if at all possible.

As a correctional officer, you will be working within jails, prisons, or other types of detention facilities in which inmates are being held. You will be required to have direct interaction with the prisoners and inmates that are housed in the particular facilities that you are assigned to.

All officers must undergo mandatory basic academy training, which varies in duration and course content from location to location. This training will assist newly hired officers to improve the necessary skills needed to be successful in their new careers.

Corrections officers should be of high moral character have good communication and interpersonal skills since they interact with various types of people from diverse backgrounds on a daily basis.

In today’s increasingly more modern and technical world, correctional officers can only stand to benefit from having a basic understanding of computers and can utilize those skills effectively on the job.

Although a corrections officer has no law enforcement responsibilities outside of their place of duty, while there, they are tasked to maintain order within the particular institution while at the same time enforcing the rules and regulations that they are sworn to uphold.

Lastly, you must have a firm grasp of the necessary laws, rules, and regulations that are associated with monitoring an inmate population. This information is something that will be covered in your initial training, but it’s important that you know as much as you can since this is an integral part of the career of a correctional officer.