My husband has been a state corrections officer in a maximum security prison for almost ten years. After leaving the army in 1994 after eight years of being a Military policeman, he knew he would pursue a career in law enforcement. After some twists and turns, he landed in the career of state corrections which has been both beneficial and stressful for our family. If you are considering a career in state corrections, I hope this article will be helpful to you. Here are some facts about being a state corrections officer.
You will have to go away for a certain period of time to attend the training academy. This is most certainly a Con for trainees with families. My husband started his academy training when my first daughter was less than two months old. This led to many long nights alone with a newborn. We got through it alright, but at the time it was very difficult. Depending on your personal situation this may not be a problem at all, or it may be impossible.
After completing academy training, you will likely start out on the busiest shift in order to get you up to speed quickly. This is very stressful on a new corrections officer and can be considered a Pro or Con depending on how you look at it. In one respect, it enables you to learn alot about the job in the shortest amount of time, thereby providing you with a certain level of confidence in your new career fairly early. On the other hand, the academy can not possibly train you for every scenario that will occur, so the first few months of working as a correction officer is basically trial by fire. You either acclimate quickly to the often unpleasant environment or you don’t.
It is a soul sucking job. It truly is. This is most definitely a Con. My husband sees things at work every day that are brutal and very sad. I have listened to stories over the years that made my hair stand on end. He has been called every name in the book, been spat on and has had coffee thrown in his face. After working as a corrections officer for nearly three years, he experienced a time of low level depression that thankfully did not progress and that he did work through after a short time. You are taught in the academy that corrections officers have a very high statistic rate of alcoholism, depression and even suicide due to the nature of their job. They do offer resources for officers experiencing job related stresses which we thankfully have never needed to utilize, but we certainly will if the time ever does come.
You and your family will receive state health and dental insurance at little or no cost to you. In this day and age, when health insurance is so expensive and truly a luxury for many families, this is a Pro. At this time we do not contribute any money at all towards our family’s health insurance. The state has been trying to negotiate it into the contract for years that we contribute a portion, but so far have been unsuccessful. This is truly a blessing that I am grateful for.
You have job security. Sort of. There is no true job security in this day and age; but unfortunately for the state of our society, new prisons are being built every day. As long as you show up for work every day, adhere to the rules and regulations of the prison and do your job well, you will have a job. This is a Pro. There are many things to worry about, being a state corrections officer, but being downsized is not one of them.
There will be many years before you have a Monday through Friday, first shift schedule with Christmas and Thanksgiving off every year. State corrections officer’s shifts and days off go by seniority. I can’t tell you how many Christmases and Thanksgivings my husband has worked in the last ten years. Unless the holiday falls on one of his days off, he works. My children and I are accustomed to it by now, but it doesn’t mean we like it. This is a major Con.
You will receive adequate sick and vacation time as a state corrections officer. The time off you are entitled to increases with every year of service and enables my husband to stay home if he is ill or if a family situation arises, without losing any pay. In these uncertain financial times, this is a Pro.
I am very proud of my husband and the work he has chosen. State corrections officers have a very difficult job, but help to keep our communities and families safe. Being a state corrections officer definitely has it’s advantages and drawbacks. It is not the job for everyone, but it may be the right job for you.
