Correctional Officers and Jailers

Law, Public Safety, Corrections and SecurityO*NET 33-3012.00United States

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.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $58,947
Projected change: −3.7%
Typical education: High school diploma or less
Employment: 387.65K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What correctional officers and jailers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present.
Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes.
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.
Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs.
Guard facility entrances to screen visitors.
Record information, such as prisoner identification, charges, and incidents of inmate disturbance, keeping daily logs of prisoner activities.
Inspect mail for the presence of contraband.
Maintain records of prisoners' identification and charges.
Use weapons, handcuffs, and physical force to maintain discipline and order among prisoners.
Use nondisciplinary tools and equipment, such as a computer.
Conduct fire, safety, and sanitation inspections.
Take prisoners into custody and escort to locations within and outside of facility, such as visiting room, courtroom, or airport.
Participate in required job training.
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.
Serve meals, distribute commissary items, and dispense prescribed medication to prisoners.
Drive passenger vehicles and trucks used to transport inmates to other institutions, courtrooms, hospitals, and work sites.
Counsel inmates and respond to legitimate questions, concerns, and requests.
Assign duties to inmates, providing instructions as needed.
Issue clothing, tools, and other authorized items to inmates.
Arrange daily schedules for prisoners, including library visits, work assignments, family visits, and counseling appointments.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $42,765
25th percentile: $48,630
50th percentile: $58,947
75th percentile: $75,858
90th percentile: $93,226

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $58,947 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

−3.7%projected to decline

2025387,652 jobs

2035 projected373,154 jobs

14,498 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less: 92.4%
Associate degree: 7.6%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Criminal Corrections
Contraband Detection And Control
Rehabilitation
Law Enforcement
Good Driving Record
Psychology
Self Defense
First Aid
Juvenile Justice
Sanitation
Crisis Intervention
Probation
Defensive Tactics
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Mental Health
Physical Fitness
Use Of Force
De-escalation Techniques
Sociology
Legal Hearings

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Correctional Officers3,052 postings
02Corrections Officers1,379 postings
03Detention Officers1,141 postings
04Juvenile Correctional Officers439 postings
05Correctional Sergeants344 postings
06Juvenile Detention Officers251 postings
07Correctional Officer Lieutenants209 postings
08Community Corrections Officers178 postings
09Corrections Deputies175 postings
10Juvenile Justice Detention Officers161 postings
11Detention Deputies157 postings
12Correctional Counselors141 postings
13Correctional Officer Sergeants135 postings
14Jailers131 postings
15Custody Officers121 postings
16Sergeants114 postings
17Law Enforcement Officers108 postings
18Deputy Jailers104 postings
19Correctional Officers Correctional Systems Officer97 postings
20Correctional Registered Nurses96 postings

Top employers

01CoreCivic779 postings
02United States Department of Justice509 postings
03State of Florida386 postings
04Department Of Corrections379 postings
05State of Washington326 postings
06State of South Carolina314 postings
07GEO Group238 postings
08Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania230 postings
09Georgia Department Of Corrections205 postings
10Missouri Department Of Corrections152 postings
11State of Missouri146 postings
12Management & Training Corporation131 postings
13United Security Group123 postings
14Keloland Television120 postings
15Georgia Department Of Transportation111 postings
16Team Georgia107 postings
17Commonwealth of Kentucky100 postings
18State of Indiana96 postings
19State of Louisiana96 postings
20Rehabilitation Correction75 postings

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