Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on how to become a correctional officer.

Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on how to become a correctional officer. This is true in Illinois where the Correctional Officer Trainees undergo a basic skills test, a physical test, and an educational achievement assessment (Illinois Department of Corrections). In Texas, they only have to be of age, have no felonies, pass a drug test, etc (Texas Department of Justice). On the surface, it would seem that the college education is more than what is truly needed. Overall, to be a corrections officer you need to be 18 years and older and have no felonies on your record. Most states consider that to be enough to qualify you to become a corrections officer and once you are qualified you undergo training to prepare yourself for the things that you will encounter while working for a facility.

Most, if not all, correctional officers do not carry weapons, therefore, they must undergo some hand to hand combat training to defend themselves from inmates and sometimes other officers. The state facilities usually do not require any education above a high school diploma but the Federal Bureau of Prisons requires a Bachelor’s Degree or 3 years of experience (Federal Bureau of Prisons). It seems that we can assume that the bigger the facility, the higher the requirements. It is only natural that a federal prison system would require more education and/or experience than the rest. The degree program stresses more on criminal law and writing reports concisely and effectively. The degree program also includes some communication classes. Communication would be extremely important in this profession. According to a Lieutenant at the Stateville&nbsp.Correctional Center in Joliet, IL (815) 727-3607, ‘you have to know how to talk to the inmates and your fellow officers.&nbsp.