Hello to Fellow readers,
In reviewing Mr bklynrizz paragraph i find that he adjusted himself nicely, however i find that if a instructor is teaching mechanics, maint. or cooking to the inmates, do i really want him/her to respond to help me in a situation in the facility. How many hats do you have to wear to earn a dollar and consider yourself very lucky man that nothing major happen to you and hope it never does, but think about that adjustment you made. Yes it sounds cool to jump around from state to state, but thats if wifey goes alone with that (if you can find one that agrees) You mentioned at one time you were a police officer and occasionally delt with one or two perps, thats letting me know you come from a small town/city, have you ever delt with motorcycle gangs or gangs in general or how about a major city protest and the best is race riots, the point i want to make it doesn’t matter what law enforcement job you have, weight the pro’s and con’s, that means what can you take or not take, what surroundings you would be subject to and of course the pay & bene’s that make of this worth wild for you and your family or family to be. good luck to all

when they call I think I will work a week at doc and then 11 week academy

Ok , good luck are you already working with the Department of Corrections or Academy first ?

I applied to state. Alabama. Should be going next month or maybe april

Stonecold I hear you man , Im the same way , in mechanics and sick of it. I see you applied and are going to the Academy , would that be Fedral or State I am applying to Fedral. I have familiy thats swears buy the BOP is the most easiest, well paying job out there ……drop A line I would like to know how your doing brother?

I remember how difficult it was to budget when I went from getting paid once a month to getting paid twice a month (on the first and the fifteenth), but I was able to adapt. It took a while to get my bills on schedule with my paycheck, though, because I had everything set up to be paid on the first of the month. Now I get paid every other week and it’s NICE.

Mudflap, yes I would agree that is a downfall. When I was a child abuse investigator for the State, getting paid once a month was horrible. I wish they would change that.

Not really on topic…..I get paid once a month…..i have always been paid once a month. I could not budget any other way………

_I will be starting the academy as well on the 19th with Texas Department of Criminal Justice. I like what I see so far. 12 hour shifts, 4 on 4 off and looks like you can move up pretty easy. The only downfall is that you get paid once a month. _ cooler king

Hotchie mama, I didn’t realize ANYONE was still paid once a month, but it sure beats no pay a’tall.

I will be starting the academy as well on the 19th with Texas Department of Criminal Justice. I like what I see so far. 12 hour shifts, 4 on 4 off and looks like you can move up pretty easy. The only downfall is that you get paid once a month.

_I’ll be starting the academy on the 16th and I’m trying to find out what to expect. Is corrections like the military as far as advancement, if u are a go getter you can climb the ranks. Do you have to go to college to get those bars? mr. real _

Depends on where you’re starting… city, county or state? Which one? There may be some people on this site who work where you’re going. Bklynrizz gave some good info and if you haven’t already done so you can check to see if the academy you’re going to has a website.

I’ll be starting the academy on the 16th and I’m trying to find out what to expect. Is corrections like the military as far as advancement, if u are a go getter you can climb the ranks. Do you have to go to college to get those bars?

In the federal prisons there are vocational training instructors who teach trades to the inmates and get law enforcement retirement. That is because all staff who work inside of federal prisons also perform policing duties as well, respond to emergencies, make escorted trips when needed, etc,. In the federal system upward mobility is excellent, you can promote up rather quickly if you don’t mind transfering around the country, which is also a plus. I started as an officer and have since worked in the maintenance department, education department, was tdy in the food service department, worked in the construction end of the federal system, and am now a supervisor back in maintenance. I’ve worked in five different locations. I like dealing with the inmates. And when I come to work I never know what to expect. That can be good or bad. The things I don’t like about working in a prison is being totally out numbered. When I was a cop it was me and my partner and we usually was only confronted with one or two bad guys. Working inside my institution there are over 2000 with about 100 staff on day watch and a dozen on evenings and mornings. Don’t worry you’ll get used to it. The best thing about working in the federal prisons is once you have 20 years of service and have reached 50 years of age you are eligable to retire. I never had that in the private sector. Good Luck.

That is pretty much how I was guessing and thinking it would be. Kind of looking forward to a change. I guess the biggest downer I have is not going to be able to use my cell phone to text my daughter and wife from time to time, but I guess I will get use to it.

Like everyone else I could probably spin an answer for or against a job in corrections, and my outlook could probably be skewed by whether I’ve had a good week or not. I suspect those who are totally against aren’t on very many corrections based sites, either, so there would be more “for” than “against” on this site.

Some of the best parts of the job? Having backup a minute or two away… I come home and ain’t covered with grease (my uniform looks pretty much the same when I get home as when I left for work)… I don’t have to chase people through dark alleys at 3 AM… when I’m off work I’m off work, and don’t get called in because two guys got into a fight… if I work overtime I get paid for it… and I pretty much know what time I’ll get home every night.

Bad parts of this job? Hmmmmmm. Lemme think about that and get back to you. I’m sure I can come up with a few.

Promotions might or might not be difficult to come by depending on the size of the institution. As an example, if there are two Sergeant slots available in a small joint it will be more difficult to get one as compared to a large joint that has twenty slots. Same thing with any other job (like maintenance or vocational teacher). There are plenty of staff members that are happy where they are and aren’t looking to promote, and there are also plenty of staff members that would like to promote or change jobs but don’t have the background or experience to do so.

Heck, don’t fret and worry about it. A lot can happen between now and next spring and those worries will have been wasted.

Waiting for academy date, probably in the spring. To much time to think and worry on my hands. Have been an automotive tech all my life and tired of the rat race, investment and technology to keep up with and a decline in pay.I have been running some, and have been going to the gym for 12 years. Hopefully I am in good enough shape. What are the best things you like about the job and the worst? Are there any other jobs in the prison like automotive teachers for example? What are some jobs to try to promote to that are rewarding if any?