CompGeo Salary Survey Benchmark Job Summary and Competencies

Correctional Officer

The Benchmark Job Description below represents the specific Position Characteristics of the job used in the Salary Survey. Benchmark Job Descriptions should be inspected carefully to review the degree of matching between an organizations' Job and the Salary Survey Benchmark. Matching internal Jobs to Salary Survey Benchmark Jobs should not be done on Job Title alone. A thorough comparison of Salary Survey Benchmark to Internal Job Descriptions is recommended. A good overlap should exist on any comparisons used on critical Job Dimensions and Competencies.
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Protective Services
Job Family: Police Services
Benchmark Title: Correctional Officer
 
Summary Job Description Tasks
Guard inmates in penal or rehabilitative institutions in accordance with established regulations and procedures. May guard prisoners in transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other point. Includes deputy sheriffs and police who spend the majority of their time guarding prisoners in correctional institutions. Guard facility entrances to screen visitors.
 
Search for and recapture escapees.
 
Inspect mail for the presence of contraband.
 
Take prisoners into custody and escort to locations within and outside of facility, such as visiting room, courtroom, or airport.
 
Use weapons, handcuffs, and physical force to maintain discipline and order among prisoners.
 
Conduct fire, safety, and sanitation inspections.
 
Provide to supervisors oral and written reports of the quality and quantity of work performed by inmates, inmate disturbances and rule violations, and unusual occurrences.
 
Settle disputes between inmates.
 
Drive passenger vehicles and trucks used to transport inmates to other institutions, courtrooms, hospitals, and work sites.
 
Arrange daily schedules for prisoners including library visits, work assignments, family visits, and counseling appointments.
 
Assign duties to inmates, providing instructions as needed.
 
Issue clothing, tools, and other authorized items to inmates.
 
Investigate crimes that have occurred within an institution, or assist police in their investigations of crimes and inmates.
 
Maintain records of prisoners' identification and charges.
 
Supervise and coordinate work of other correctional service officers.
 
Sponsor inmate recreational activities such as newspapers and self-help groups.
 
Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present.
 
Monitor conduct of prisoners in housing unit, or during work or recreational activities, according to established policies, regulations, and procedures, to prevent escape or violence.
 
Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes.
 
Record information, such as prisoner identification, charges, and incidences of inmate disturbance, and keep daily logs of prisoner activities.
 
Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs.
 
Process or book convicted individuals into prison.
 
Participate in required job training.
 
Serve meals, distribute commissary items, and dispense prescribed medication to prisoners.
 
Counsel inmates and respond to legitimate questions, concerns, and requests.
 
Use nondisciplinary tools and equipment such as a computer.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Protective Services
Job Family: Police Services
Benchmark Title: Correctional Officer
 
Important Knowledge Competencies Competency Description
Public Safety and Security Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 
Law and Government Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 
Psychology Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
 
English Language Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 
Computers and Electronics Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 
Customer and Personal Service Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 
Administration and Management Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 
Transportation Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
 
Therapy and Counseling Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
 
Education and Training Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 
Sociology and Anthropology Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Protective Services
Job Family: Police Services
Benchmark Title: Correctional Officer
 
Important Skill Competencies Competency Description
Active Listening Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
 
Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively.
 
Social Perceptiveness Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
 
Critical Thinking Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
 
Monitoring Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
 
Coordination Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
 
Persuasion Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
 
Negotiation Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
 
Reading Comprehension Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
 
Judgment and Decision Making Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
 
Time Management Managing one's own time and the time of others.
 
Instructing Teaching others how to do something.
 
Service Orientation Actively looking for ways to help people.
 
Complex Problem Solving Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
 
Writing Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
 
Management of Personnel Resources Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
 
Active Learning Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Protective Services
Job Family: Police Services
Benchmark Title: Correctional Officer
 
Important Ability Competencies Competency Description
Oral Comprehension The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
 
Problem Sensitivity The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
 
Speech Clarity The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
 
Oral Expression The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
 
Speech Recognition The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
 
Deductive Reasoning The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
 
Inductive Reasoning The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
 
Near Vision The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
 
Written Comprehension The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
 
Information Ordering The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
 
Selective Attention The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
 
Stamina The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
 
Static Strength The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
 
Gross Body Coordination The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
 
Far Vision The ability to see details at a distance.
 
Written Expression The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
 
Arm-Hand Steadiness The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
 
Multilimb Coordination The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
 
Reaction Time The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
 
Explosive Strength The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
 
Trunk Strength The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
 
Flexibility of Closure The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
 
Manual Dexterity The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
 
Response Orientation The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
 
Dynamic Strength The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
 
Hearing Sensitivity The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
 
Auditory Attention The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
 
Category Flexibility The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
 
Perceptual Speed The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
 
Time Sharing The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
 
Finger Dexterity The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
 
Speed of Closure The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
 
Gross Body Equilibrium The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
 
Depth Perception The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Protective Services
Job Family: Police Services
Benchmark Title: Correctional Officer
 
Prerequisite Qualification Category Education and Experience Level
Related Work Experience None
 
Required Level of Education High School Diploma (or GED or High School Equivalence Certificate)
 
On-the-Job Training Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Protective Services
Job Family: Police Services
Benchmark Title: Correctional Officer
 
Alternate Job Title(s)
Booking Officer
Certified Detention Deputy
Community Services Officer
Convict Guard
Correction Officer
Correctional Corporal
Correctional Guard
Correctional Officer
Correctional Sergeant
Corrections Corporal
Corrections Officer (CO)
Corrections Specialist
Cottage Master
Cottage Parent
Cottage Supervisor
Custodial Officer
Custody Assistant
Deputy
Deputy Jailer
Deputy Sheriff
Detention Deputy
Detention Enforcement Officer
Detention Officer
Gang Pusher
Gate Guard
Gate Watch
Gate Watchman
Guard
Immigration Guard
Jail Guard
Jail Officer
Jail Supervisor
Jailer
Jailer/Training Officer
Jailkeeper
Jailor
Juvenile Corrections Officer
Juvenile Detention Officer
Lock Up Keeper
Matron
Patrol Conductor
Penal Officer
Police Matron
Police Officer
Prison Guard
Prison Officer
Public Safety Officer
Reformatory Attendant
Security Guard
Security Officer
Turnkey
Youth Corrections Officer
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Protective Services
Job Family: Police Services
Benchmark Title: Correctional Officer
 
 
.
 
CompGeo Professional Salary Survey and Total Compensation Forecast Options
 
Professional Total Compensation Forecast Library
Regional Online Access Subscription Options. Online Salary Survey Forecast Library Subscriptions include Access To All 23 CompGeo Salary Survey Career Occupation Groups covering thousands of Salary Survey Benchmarks with Salary and Compensation Forecasts over a eight year time period - an unmatched feature in the Salary and Compensation Forecast Business Realm.. Direct Pay, Fringe Benefit Costs and Total Compensation Forecasts included. Compensation Forecasts are present for all CompGeo Salary Survey Benchmarks along with Salary Survey Aging Factors for ea ch Projection Date. All Salary Survey Forecast Reports include a Companion Excel Salary Survey Forecast Data Sheet.
 
CompGeo Professional Salary Survey Report and Forecast Samples
CompGeo Salary Survey Report Samples
Samples and Pricing for all CompGeo Online Professional Report and Online Forecast Library Subscription Options.
 
 
 
Copyright © 1995 - 2023 International Compensation Technologies and The Clayton Wallis Company.
All Rights Reserved World Wide ictcw.com
Member, WorldatWork - Formerly American and Canadian Compensation Associations (ACA/CCA)