How to become a prison guard

A person dreams of becoming idiosyncratic in the course of his life. From engineers to doctors, many new fields have come and gone. But have you ever thought your future as a prison guard? Yes, this particular job has emerged as the most important one when the safety of prison is dealt with.

Before knowing about how to become a prison guard, one must be clear about what is this. A prison guard is known by detention or correctional officer. A correctional officer is responsible for maintaining the security of the prison by managing and overseeing the detained people. All the works related to the detained are handled by the guards. Any problem or issue in the prison, related to fires, weapons, maintaining discipline, ensuring law and order, preventing escapes and all other extreme situations are handled wholly and solely by these guards. The major necessity to be possessed by them is that they should be willing to work both day and night as prison needs to be protected 24*7. Including this, one must also be strong enough to handle the inmates of the prison and must possess ample strength.

Returning back to how the side of the topic, here are some points that will guide you in becoming a prison guide.

Educational Requirement

The first step of knowing how to become a prison guard is the basic education required. There is no particular qualification or exam that a person needs to undergo this job. For some of the jail guard jobs at municipal and state, you only require a high school diploma. But if you want to be at the federal level, then you may require completing your bachelors' study. Along with this, if you want to be at a much higher position like that of a prison warden, then you may require a bachelor’s degree or sometimes more than that according to different levels and work settings.

Apply for a job and pass the exam

Apply for the job on online job portals. Fill out the forms they send and attach all the documents. After this, you will be evaluated in front of the supervisors of the jail. The evaluation will be manual at first which will consist of a regular job interview containing questions related to one’s experiences and goals.

Physical Test

When knowing How to become a prison guard you must have been preparing yourself for this part. Right? A physical fitness test must be passed before the actual job of a guard is handed over. Fitness tests can constitute anything to test the strength of the person or it can be a simple drug or fitness examination. It can also include a psychological examination to test the mental power and emotional ability of a person. You can also be tested for criminal background. Once you clear all these exams, you are then hired for the job.

Training Period

A degree helps you to start your journey as a prison guard, but it is the training period that determines your promotion and advancements in this field. The duration of training programs at state, municipal, and federal levels is different. The federal prison guard requires a strict 200 hours training. If you have no experience, then you will be instructed to train at the academy. The training program consists of training in a number of fields such as handling riots, managing weapons, maintaining the safety of inmates, self-defense, and crisis management.

Become Skilled

A more trained person could see great advancement in terms of salaries and responsibilities. An additional degree would, therefore, be a cherry on the cake. Correctional officers can also become an expert who could lead their own team of many such guards to maintain stability at the prison. Besides this, a prison guard should also possess negotiation skills, skills to effectively communicate, self-discipline, and must be a good judge. A patient person, who knows how to manage people and is great at teamwork, would be preferred.

Get Certified

Once you are trained enough, you can get certified through the (American Correctional Association) ACA. The American Correctional Association provides a (CCO) Certified Corrections Officer certificate. This certification is awarded to the trainee who knows how to control the weapons and other apparatus, the one who has control over the inmates and knows to manage wrongdoers, the one who ensures safety and health. Including this, he/she must also hold a degree, should have passed an exam, and must have at least one year of experience.

Schedule of a prison guard

Once you get certified, you can also become a prison warden but everything requires hard work. So a typical schedule has to be followed here too. A 40 hrs./week schedule is issued to the corrections officer but it may differ from prison to prisons. The duty and responsibilities to be handled by them are challenging as they have to face daily riots and must be ready to work in any sort of condition. So, this job not only requires physical fitness in the major, but mental and emotional fitness is also a must for it.

Associate Degree

For people who are working as a prison guard already, an additional degree can mean a lot to them and can help them grab many opportunities. A typical curriculum of the degree includes these courses- Conflict Resolution Strategies, Counseling, and Interviewing and Supervision and Control.

Job Growth

Now that you know about How to become a prison guard you must also know about job growth. A normal job of a correctional officer observes a very low job growth over the years. The overall growth is 4% in approximately 10 years. But, the average annual salary of a prison guard is nearly $43,550.

Similar jobs

A person who has an interest in becoming a prison guard might also be interested in similar jobs like Security Guard, Probation Officer, Corrections Officer, Police Officer, and Correctional Treatment Specialist.

This was everything that you need to know about How to become a prison guard. Thus, all the myths regarding a correctional officer being uneducated and corrupt are a sham. This guide is proof of it. If you are thinking about doing this job and have made up your mind to pursue it in your forthcoming future, then you deserve massive respect. Any person who serves the public even in their smallest form deserves all the support and honor. Let the world look into the professional life of a prison guard from your eyes.

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