Correctional Officer

Correctional Officer

Bob Walsh

Stockton, CA

Male, 60

I worked for the California state system, starting as a Correctional Officer and retiring as a Lieutenant in 2005. I now write for the PacoVilla blog which is concerned with what could broadly be called The Correctional System.

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Last Answer on February 10, 2022

Best Rated

My friend is serving a 10 yr sentence, felony 1 and 2. He will be up for release in a few months half way through the sentence....what do you think the chances would be for him to get out on parol? He did programs and has stayed out of trouble.

Asked by retta about 9 years ago

it depends a huge amount of the jurisdiction.  in California now parole is virtually automatic.  they are trying to reduce sentences.  in some states they are very snotty about it, especially depending on the offense and record of priors.

what Experience, education, and training required, the
Desirable personality traits, and
General working conditions.

Asked by ashlee over 9 years ago

Only a high school diploma or GED is required for entrance.  There is significant training at the academy, currently 12 weeks, and regular required In-Service Training.  Work conditions can be difficult.  There is shift work involved, especially when you have little seniority.  Most areas of the prisons are not air conditioned and during the summer they can be unpleasant.  Sometimes people try to kill  you, though that does not happen often.  You have to be willing to listen, willing to learn, willing to take orders and be willing to interact tactfully with people who don't particularly want to listen to you.  It is an entry level position so there is no actual EXPERIENCE required beyond a satisfactory history as a law-abiding citizen, though a stable work or school history before application is highly desirable and looks good.

So i have an interview. And its for a correctional officer position tomorrow. What questions should be expected that they might ask me. And what are some good answers to tell them?

Asked by Jeorge about 10 years ago

Assuming it is an entry level position (it is in CA where I worked) they will not expect you to know much about the actual job.  That is what they have training academies for.  They will be interested in your general notions about the prison system, use of force and that sort of thing.  They may want some basic info about your writing skills (way back when a short written presentation was part of the oral exam.  I don't know if it still is or not).  They may wonder about how you feel about shift work.  The truth is always a good response in such things.  Thoughtful responses but not off-the-cuff are also good.  Flippant is bad.  They will want to know about any potential blips in your history, like drug use, recent minor criminal activity, even a history of minor traffic infractions is often a red flag as it can indicate a lack of respect for authority or "the system."  DUI, especially moderately recent, is also a bad thing.  It is good if you have an honest and sincere interest in a CAREER as opposed to just a job.  Flexibility is good.  If you go in telling them you can't work nights or weekend because of this or that or the other thing they are likely to think you are not truly interested in the gig, or you will be as problem child if you get the gig. 

My husband has just recently accepted a position at MCSP as a c.o. Our concerns are; does he leave his current job that he loves, pays good, has freedom-for the state job; retirement, good benefits. Biggest concern-missing out on our future kids.

Asked by aac81 over 10 years ago

A lot of it will depend on you.  The first two years it will be hard due to the llve-in academy followed by several months of rotating shifts.  After he gets settled in to a regular job with known days off and a known shift it gets better, much better.  (Some people bid for a VR (vacation relief) job when they can so they get some good gigs along with some crappy gigs.)  When you get some seniority you can start bidding for jobs that you will probably like, working with people or working with situations that appeal to you.  Some people never get used to it.  Most people do.  The closer to retirement it gets the more it looks like it was a good decision.  Mule Creek is a relatively new, well laid out prison in a nice area.  Last I heard it had a decent administration that supported the staff. 

I have a Correction Service Technician (which oversees inmates household jobs are done correctly) selective interview in 2 days. What kind of questions should I expect? What kind of situation questions will likely be asked?

Asked by Robert Terry almost 11 years ago

I have no idea what a Correctional Service Technician does or where they work.  I am guessing it is an entry level job so they may ask you questions within the field that fit into the MQs (minimum qualifications).  They are also likely to ask you questions about your general ideas re: interactions with inmates.  They may also be interested in your attendance and/or job preformance at a previous job or school and your communication skills, especially writing skills.  Wish I could be more helpful but I am having trouble visualizing the job.  It sounds like you will be functionally a supervisor-lead person for a crew of inmate janitors.

I don't know if you can answer this but I called a local police department about a noise complaint and the noise complaint went away. Will the police come and arrest me because the complaint went away?

Asked by Mason almost 10 years ago

The chances that the police even responded to your noise complaint are almost zero in most towns, so they don't care one way or the other.  If you make a LOT of complaints and they mostly turn out to be bogus the cops might be irritated but under the circumstances I am completely competent that the local cops couldn't care less.  (My expertise here comes from being the guy making the complaints and not the guy responding to them.)

Hello, what is your most and least enjoyable aspects of the job, and approximately what is the starting salary

Asked by new over 9 years ago

Least enjoyable aspect of the job was people on occasion trying to kill me.  Most enjoyable was general job satisfaction coming from doing a job that I was good at and that had social relevance and importance.  Pay started at about $1,000 per month, but that was 35 years ago.