Correction Officer
(Male, Age 24) from Highspire, PA
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Male aged 24 who works as a Correction Officer in Highspire, PA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Correction Officer |
|---|---|
| Salary | $52,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 55 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Highspire, PA |
| Years Experience | 1 year |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for a children’s detention center. I am considered a correction officer at this lock down facility.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I am in charge of the children. It is my job to make sure they do everything that they need to do, and if they don’t do it, it is my job to handle the situation. They are in a lock down facility and are unable to leave.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
10 vacation days, 10 sick days, the health insurance is wonderful. It is blue cross, we pay NOTHING Out of pocket, they don’t match anything for 401k till you have been there for 5 years.
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
I am very well compensated for my position.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes! I always have at least one partner to work with. But there are many other officers working in the building. It can be stressful if your partner isn’t on the same page as you. But if you and your partner can work together, it is usually very peaceful.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Yes, as I said above. You always have at least one partner that you will work very closely with. Then you will also do some interacting with other co-workers, they will come to relieve you and your partner for breaks, etc
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 2
Hours: 3
Co-Workers: 4
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 7
The Actual Work: 6
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | Not at work |
| 8am to 9am | Not at work |
| 9am to 10am | Not at work |
| 10am to 11am | Not at work |
| 11am to 12pm | Not at work |
| 12pm to 1pm | Not at work |
| 1pm to 2pm | Not at work |
| 2pm to 3pm | I get ready and head to work. I only live a few minutes away, so at about 2:40 I leave for work. I arrive about 10 minutes later. I go and clock in and head to my unit. |
| 3pm to 4pm | go to my unit get the run down from the employee who I am relieving, read over any notes and make sure the kids don’t leave their room. They are in the room till dinner time. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Take the kids to dinner, monitor the dining hall. I also get to eat dinner at work. So while doing my monitoring I will eat dinner if I choose to do so. |
| 5pm to 6pm | The residents who earned it now get to go to gym class. We will take them to the gym, I make sure nobody gets out of line or does anything inappropriate. The residents who are unable to go to gym go right back to their room. We will have gym, usually play basketball for about an hour. Then we return to our area. |
| 6pm to 7pm | Once back at our area we run showers. They only have a few minutes to shower and change. Once they change they then must go back to their room. They are in their room for the rest of the night. |
| 7pm to 8pm | I am just in charge of monitoring the children. I make sure they don’t leave their rooms, if they need to get something, I make the choice on if they need it or not. This will be the same for the rest of the night. |
| 8pm to 9pm | I am just in charge of monitoring the children. I make sure they don’t leave their rooms, if they need to get something, I make the choice on if they need it or not. This will be the same for the rest of the night. |
| 9pm to 10pm | I am just in charge of monitoring the children. I make sure they don’t leave their rooms, if they need to get something, I make the choice on if they need it or not. This will be the same for the rest of the night. |
| 10pm to 11pm | I am just in charge of monitoring the children. I make sure they don’t leave their rooms, if they need to get something, I make the choice on if they need it or not. This will be the same for the rest of the night. At a bit before 11, the next shift will come in and relieve me. I will give them a run down of the day, etc and then I clock out and go home. |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
I found this job from the county website.
What was the application process?
Submitted my resume, called in for an interview, must pass a drug test and a background check.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. I went on one interview. It was just me and the hiring supervisor. We did the interview and went on a tour of the building.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I am not sure.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes! The cpr, take down training, etc training is used often in the job. So they are very important to the staff and the residents.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes. And we need to keep with a certain amount of training hours each year. We were trained in how to take down the a kid if we needed to. We are trained in CPR, how to deal with kids, etc. The yearly trainings vary.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. I had a lot of classes that dealt with behavior issues. I have a degree in Criminal Justice.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
NA
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
At my facility most people start off as part time employees. You will need a degree most of the time to even become a full time employee. They are usually a bit more lax with the rules for part timers. Once you get in part time put in as much time as you can. Then when a full time spot opens, just keep applying!
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
You will need to be able to socialize with children who have attitude problems. Of course not all but a bit majority of them. You will need to be able to be confident and stick to your guns. You can’t be easily persuaded or intimidated.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes! Having a bachelor’s degree I think has really helped me, the extra training comes in handy!
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
It is very easy to get burnt out. If you feel that is coming use some comp time and take a day off. It can become very hard working with these children sometimes. But it also can be very rewarding. You just got to make sure that you can take the time if you need it.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes. I wanted to be in some sort of correctional spot. This isn’t the exact path, I was thinking more of an adult lock up facility, but this actually works very well.
What are your current career goals?
I am happy in the position I am in now. I actually plan to stay here for a very long time.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
NA
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Correctional officer | 1 year | 52000 | Working with residents to maintain control over the building and the residents, to make sure everything runs smoothly and if it don’t, to fix the problem. |
| Prior Job 2 | Correctional officer | 2 years | 48000 | Working with residents to maintain control over the building and the residents, to make sure everything runs smoothly and if it don’t, to fix the problem. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.4 | Central Penn | B.A. Of C.J |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
Ask a Question of this Mentor
This mentor has opted to receive questions from people interested in this career or job position. Please be respectful of their time and willingness to help. Include some basic relevant background so they can intelligently answer your question.