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Correctional Officers and Jailers

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.

What you’d do

  • Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present.
  • Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes.
  • 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.
  • Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs.
  • Guard facility entrances to screen visitors.
  • Record information, such as prisoner identification, charges, and incidents of inmate disturbance, keeping daily logs of prisoner activities.
  • Inspect mail for the presence of contraband.
  • Maintain records of prisoners' identification and charges.

Skills that matter

  • Active Listening
  • Monitoring
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Speaking
  • Critical Thinking
  • Reading Comprehension

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Correctional Officer
  • Corrections Officer (CO)
  • Detention Officer
  • Jailer
  • Booking Officer
  • Community Services Officer (CSO)

Related careers

See all careers

  • First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers

    Directly supervise and coordinate activities of correctional officers and jailers.

    Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

  • Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

    Provide social services to assist in rehabilitation of law offenders in custody or on probation or parole.

    Considerable preparation: most need a four-year bachelor's degree

  • Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

    Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances.

    Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

  • Bailiffs

    Maintain order in courts of law.

    Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

  • First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives

    Directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of police force.

    Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

  • Detectives and Criminal Investigators

    Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.

    Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree