The Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) seeks to employ career-oriented men and women, offering professional and personal growth opportunities that are difficult to match in either the public or private sector. A career in the DOC provides unparalleled opportunities for men and women who can work well with people and meet the challenge of a fast-growing and demanding environment. The DOC needs resourceful, dedicated people to help meet the corrections challenge.
WHAT DOES A CONNECTICUT CORRECTIONAL OFFICER DO
Connecticut Correctional Officers perform a concentration or combination of the following functions:
- Security
- Performs periodic headcount
- Conducts periodic searches of all areas available to inmates
- Checks all incoming visitors, packages, and mail for contraband
- Performs pat or strip searches as needed
- Secures access points and checks areas for fire safety and emergency evacuation procedures
- Monitors all movement through the designated area
- Transports inmates to and from courts, hospitals, halfway houses, and other institutions
- Inmate Control
- Directs inmate access to rooms, recreation areas, dining areas, shower and telephone facilities, and special group meetings while ensuring the transition is orderly and timely
- Monitors inmates in the above activities and ensures discipline and security are maintained
- Evaluates and report on inmate performance
- Participates in directed treatment activities as required
- May be required to restrain inmates physically
- ADMINISTRATION
- Sets up or maintains records relating to admissions, court appearances, property, financial assets, medication, disciplinary actions, living assignments, work assignments, key control, use of force and restraint, punitive segregation, etc., by regulations.
- Ensures admissions, transfers, and discharges are accompanied by appropriate paperwork
- Prepares reports and documentation relative to assigned activities
- Orders and dispenses supplies for the designated area
- COMMUNICATION
- Dispenses and collects commissary slips and orders
- Screens visitors to ascertain if they are authorized and grants or denies admission on the judgment of perceived security risk
- Responds to emergency requirements in the event of a fire, escape, or call for assistance
- Handles incidents and crises involving inmates through the use of practical oral communication skills
- Interfaces with related law enforcement personnel
- May schedule inmate appointments with counselors, clinics, clergy, and school
BECOMING A CORRECTIONAL OFFICER IN CONNECTICUT
Candidates must be able to work all shifts based on facility needs. Candidates will not be able to select which facility they would like to work at; assignments are solely at the discretion and based on the agency’s needs.
To be considered, applicants must:
- Pass a pre-employment physical, which includes a drug screening, and complete a background check
- May be subject to random drug testing during their working test period
- Adhere to the department’s dress code, including personal grooming standards
- Attend a total of twelve weeks of training which will include classroom, physical, and on-the-job training
Candidates with the skills listed below will be given priority:
- Stable work history
- Excellent attendance records
- Related education or work experience
- Military experience
- Experience working with demanding clientele
- Superior Communication Skills
CONNECTICUT EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS
New Correctional Officers serve the first ten weeks of employment as Correctional Officer Cadets. Training will consist of classroom and on-the-job training. The classroom training will be held at the Maloney Center for Training and Staff Development in Cheshire, CT, for the first six weeks of employment. For the other four weeks, you will train with peer mentors at an institution. Candidates will return to the academy for a final two weeks for follow-up before reporting to your assigned facility and post as a Correctional Officer.
There are many physical aspects to your training, including self-defense. The academy uses an adult education format with written examinations that must be passed. The focus is on providing the knowledge needed to succeed as a Correctional Officer. The chain of command is in effect, and you will be expected to respect your training officers as such.
The Correction Officer Test battery evaluates a candidate’s muscular strength, endurance, aerobic capacity, and anaerobic power. A comprehensive job analysis of the Correctional Officer position provided the foundation for the physical test battery. Below is a list of the Correction Officer tests.
- Cell and Area Search
- Evaluates the strength, range of motion, and agility required to search cells and other locations in a correctional facility
- Code Response to Secondary Location
- Assesses a combination of upper body strength, grip strength, upper body muscular endurance, and aerobic capacity required in an emergency response
- Run and Respond
- Evaluates the ability to respond quickly to an emergency and control and restrain inmates. The test involves running promptly to the incident scene and subduing and handcuffing a resistive inmate.
OPTIONAL PATH TO CERTIFICATION
Having all or part of the basic training program exempted is contingent upon a Standards and Training Council review. The review will involve the following:
- Previous training and certification
- Formal, professional, and in-service training and education
- Length of service and field experience
The council may waive those portions of the police basic training program for which a candidate demonstrates (a) the satisfactory completion of a substantial equivalent training or educational program in another state or jurisdiction, or (b) a length of service with field experience sufficient to establish a practical mastery of the required skills or a good combination of both.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREES
Correctional Officers who have completed six months of service and are continuing their education in a job-related area or in an area that will assist in upward mobility or promotional opportunities are eligible for tuition reimbursement for a maximum of l8 credits or the equivalent per year.
Some examples of Criminal Justice and Criminology programs offered at Connecticut institutions include:
University of New Haven – Criminal Justice and Forensics Program
Central Connecticut State University – Criminology and Criminal Justice Program
Western Connecticut State University – Justice and Law Administration
CONNECTICUT CORRECTIONAL OFFICER SALARY
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) lists the average Connecticut Correctional Officer salary as $55,820.
DOC employees enjoy the full range of benefits available to all State of Connecticut employees. These include:
- Liberal retirement and medical benefits
- 12 paid vacation days, 12 holidays, 15 paid sick days, and 3 paid personal days per year
- Tuition reimbursement is also available.
CORRECTIONAL OFFICER JOB PROSPECTS
The Connecticut Department of Corrections currently has Correctional Officer positions open throughout the state. Additionally, FCI Danbury, located in Connecticut, provides an opportunity to join the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
TOP EMPLOYERS IN CONNECTICUT
Connecticut Department of Corrections
Federal Bureau of Prisons
