NCJ Number
187293
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2001 Pages: 8-23
Date Published
February 2001
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This report presents findings from the February 2001 survey of 43 U.S. and 6 Canadian correctional systems regarding their educational requirements for correctional officer levels I and II (lieutenants and captains) and for general staff (educational staff, non-sworn management, counselors, and librarians).
Abstract
A high school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED) are the minimum requirements for correctional officers, as reported by 86 percent of the respondents. For general staff, 77 percent of respondents reported that their pre-hire requirements were dependent on the position but that a high school diploma or GED was the minimum requirement. A pre-hire college degree is required in six systems. Correctional officers in 25 systems have high school diplomas or GEDs and some additional college credits in two other systems. Lieutenants in 10 systems have associate degrees, and captains in 11 systems have degrees or some college credits. Seventy percent of the systems do not offer monetary incentives to correctional officers to obtain a higher level of education, and the same is true for 77 percent of general staff. Thirteen systems have established guidelines for including educational advancement in their requirements for promotions that affect correctional officers; 30 systems do not. General staff fare better in this regard, with 19 systems offering a variety of promotion options. Sixty-three percent of the reporting systems offer reimbursement to correctional officers for numerous educational ventures. With growing reliance on technology, it is surprising that only 12 systems offer any form of distance learning to correctional officers, and only 11 systems make the option available to general staff. Trends in Canadian systems for all survey categories follow the same patterns as those noted in the United States. A chart provides survey information for each jurisdiction surveyed.