Roles of Correction Officers
Lenora Wallace
CRJ 303 Corrections (BLL1439A)
Instructor, James Alexander
October 13, 2014

Correctional officer are responsible for overseeing individuals who have been arrested and are awaiting trial or who have been sentenced to serve time in a jail or prison. (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014-15) Working in a correctional institution can be stressed and dangerous. Correctional officers and jailer have one of the highest rates of injuries and illness, often resulting from confrontations with inmates. Because jail and prison security must be provided twenty-four hours a day, officers work all hours of the day an night, weekend, and holidays.( U.S. Department of Labor, 2014-15)Correctional office jobs is to protect inmates and staff.
Correctional officer must stay with their eyes and ears open at all times. Their job will be stressed at time when dealing with different types of personality that is inside the prison or jail. One thing correctional officer cannot do is show favoritism, but must gain trust in inmates. If they see any rules broken or violate they must report it immediately. At time to time they must check cells and keep count of inmates when they doing different type of things. When inmate receives mail of other package from family of friends it must be checked before giving to inmate.
After an inmate is working different area inside the jail or prison they must pay close attention to prevent plan of escape. Keep eyes out for large groups that are surrounding each other. Correctional officers have to learn to multitask when dealing with inmates. Receive prisoners into custody, conduct searches, and make initial assessment of prisoners for health safety and security reasons. Apply the appropriate level of force in accordance with policies, ranging from verbal warnings and physical presence through the use soft and hard restraints and in extreme cases deadly force.
Direct prisoners to work assignment, meals, recreation and traffic form living unit. Maintain order discipline in dormitories, shops, work details, and recreational activities: report infraction of rules, handle unruly and violent prisoners using minimum necessary force (Correction Officer Duties, 2014). Control and direct