Correctional Officer

Correctional Officer

Bob Walsh

Stockton, CA

Male, 60

I worked for the California state system, starting as a Correctional Officer and retiring as a Lieutenant in 2005. I now write for the PacoVilla blog which is concerned with what could broadly be called The Correctional System.

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Last Answer on February 10, 2022

Best Rated

Do you have inmates take their shoes off when you make them go through the jail body scanner?

Asked by Quinn20 almost 11 years ago

My experience is in a PRISON, not a JAIL.  There is a difference.  In prison, the answer is YES, when we ran them through the METAL DETECTOR (not body scanner) they had to take their shoes off.. 

i hear you can buy stocks as a correctional officer. is it hard to do? and do you really make good money buying stocks?

Asked by jason almost 11 years ago

Of course a Correctional Officer can buy stocks.  Why wouldn't they be able to?  If you buy low and sell high you can make money.  If you do it the other way around you lose money.  That is how it works.  Investment strategy really isn't my field of expertise.

How effective do you feel probation/parole is? why or why not?

Asked by cody about 10 years ago

It depends.  Assuming the former bad guy is genuinely trying to go along with the program AND the people who are supervising and helping him are genuinely interested in doing their job, it can be very effective.  It has both a carrot and a stick.  Under the current economic conditions (poor job prospects) the carrot is sometimes lacking.  With the current prison and jail crowding the stick is sometimes underutilized.  I guess my final answer is that in theory it is fine, in actual practice, especially in California and especially of late, it is lacking.

What does it mean when your asked to show up to the correctional facility with paper sent for identity purposed

Asked by Tam over 9 years ago

No idea.  First I ever heard of it.  My GUESS is they want to make real sure you bring whatever paperwork they sent you with you and maybe want to try to make sure you are actually coming from the address they sent the paperwork to.  It doesn't really make much sense to me.  Sorry I can't be of more help.

hey I want to be a correctional officer but I don't know where to start can you give me some advice?

Asked by andres about 11 years ago

There are two ways to go, Civil Service and private.  For civil service you have to jump through the hiring agency hoops.  Virtually all civil service employers large enough to operate a correctional facility have a web site and you can get a lot of information there, things like age limits, Minimum Qualifications, academy location and length, etc.  In fact the California state system only takes applications off the internet now I understand.  There are two large private prison operators in this country, and probably several smaller ones.  GEO and CCA (Corrections Corporation of America) are the biggies.  They also have web sites with salary information, employment opportunities, etc.  The Internet is definitely the place to start for either pathway.  (I highly recommend Civil Service employment if you can manage it.  It pays much better, is much more secure, and tends to offer better promotional opportunities.)

How do you go about joining specialized units within the CDCR? (i.e the Investigations Unit)

Asked by CO2015 about 11 years ago

You don't.  They recruit you generally speaking.  You can let them know you are interested, but you can't just "join."

Specking logical if someone want to be correctional officers in Arizona but has husband in prison at the same time but there been together for six with three kids, can she be CO or can't be because her husband is in AZDOC

Asked by Nizhoni almost 11 years ago

I don't know the rules in Arizona, I never worked there.  Most states have hiring policies that do not discriminate against the families of felons.  Generally speaking they would not let a person work at the same facility a close family member was locked up in, but other than that there is almost certainly no civil service rule against it.  That does not mean they would not look closely at her on suspicion of being a plant within the system, especially if she had any suspicion of involvement in criminal activities which were never proven.