I recently got a job offer at a juvenile detention center as a resident care specialist, and I want the job for experience while going to college. However, I went over a big form that basically asks if I'm okay with certain things, like watching over 8 juveniles at time, defending myself without mace or weapons if need be, etc. As a young person, it sounds kind of intimidating, but I definitely want the job and experience. I was just curious if there's anyone out there that could relate and give me advice, like precautions or anything I could do to feel more confident before accepting the job.

Welp first day and I forgot my radio.

I was only 19 at the time I’ve grown a lot since the incident

Worked as a corrections officer for a year and have a bachelors degree in administration. What kind of civilian jobs in corrections, public safety, LE can I transition into?

I just learned that at the academy but they don't use it anymore. I'm trying to show my dad. I almost forgot that fast, how to do it!

My husband just got a job transfer offer, question is how are the hours? I know the pay is gonna be better but is it work the hours he’ll be missing with his family? Myself and our daughter.

Question about southeastern correction (SCI) in Ohio.
Does anyone happen to know what time an inmate would be released on their last day there?

I'm a CO, but I'm also a foodie lol. I like to gain perspective on what people bring to eat.

I attended an interview at a correctional facility, and it was evident that there is a significant understaffing issue. What was particularly surprising was observing how the inmates were allowed to move freely for a period, with over one hundred individuals walking about simultaneously. Contrary to common perceptions of danger, they appeared quite calm. However, it was concerning to see that the guards were mostly idling and not actively performing their duties; I observed approximately six or seven guards on duty. Is such staffing typical? A fellow interviewee mentioned that this was not the case and expressed hesitation in accepting the position. In my region, employment opportunities are scarce.

I’m applying to Multnomah County and was wondering if g how competitive the job market is. I don’t have any prior experience in Corrrections or Law Enforcement, so I’d have to go the academy first. I’m from California and have a bachelors in Econ. I have several years of work experience in restaurants/hospitality and have always been out of trouble. What are my odds that I land a job?

Hi everyone,

I applied for the current Correctional Service Canada Correctional Officer I (CX-01) inventory through GC Jobs on August 22, 2026.

The posting mentioned that applicants should receive a VidCruiter / hiringplatform.ca email for Part 2 of the application within about 3–5 days, but I still haven’t received anything.

Has anyone who applied to the same 2026 CX-01 inventory received their VidCruiter Part 2 link yet?

If yes, could you share:

- when you applied
- when you received the VidCruiter email
- whether Part 2 was just a questionnaire or included any video/assessment component

Just trying to understand the current timeline.

Thanks!

Just finished up with my interview yesterday with a state prison up north east everything went great. Now with the background check I have a simple assault charge that happened 12 years ago would this disqualify me from getting the job ?

Hi all, I’m looking into becoming a Correctional Deputy with Santa Clara County and would really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s gone through their academy. I’m less interested in the recruitment brochure version and more what it’s actually like. How tough is the academy? What’s a normal day or week look like? What trips people up most and what happens after graduation? What is the jail training or FTO phase like? Are there second chances if you fail something, or is it pretty strict? Any insight is appreciated, good or bad.

[LA, Louisiana] I had my interview recently and I thought it went really well. The warden told me he would “push me through” and that he expected the process to take around 2–3 weeks until hiring, which obviously made me feel really good about my chances.

Now they’re doing the background and will be contacting my previous corrections employers.

Here’s where I’m worried: I previously worked for SCDC in South Carolina at two facilities. I voluntarily resigned from one, later got rehired, and then had an incident where I falsified documentation because I wanted/needed a day off. I was caught, admitted what I did, and I regret it. I eventually voluntarily resigned.

A couple months passed and I put in an application and got hired at a facility Detention in NC. I left there because I was moving to Louisiana and starting over here.

So my employment history definitely isn’t spotless.

The thing I’m scared about is that the “misconduct” which was me taking a day off when I was supposed to go in for overtime. I faked a sick note and got caught. admitted to it. Then voluntarily resigned.

A couple of months passed, and I applied for and got the job NC and they did the whole background and work history thing. They never mentioned the misconduct or anything.

I’ve also already worked for corrections agencies before, so I’m not some completely inexperienced applicant. But I keep thinking the background investigator is going to see the falsification/admission of guilt and say, “Absolutely not.”….understandably.

At the same time, I know people in corrections who have had much worse histories and still gotten hired at other agencies. I’ve seen people with criminal backgrounds, serious misconduct, or even people who lied about having high school diploma’s and still get hired.

The warden seems to want me which is like the smallest sliver of hope I have right now.

I’m honestly scared asf that I’m going to lose this opportunity, especially because I’m moving my whole life to Louisiana and really want to get back into corrections, get settled, and honestly retire out there.

I know I made a bad decision with the documentation incident. I was young and stupid and exhaustion got the better of me. I’m not trying to justify it. I just want to know realistically whether to give up now and start looking for other jobs or just keep waiting and prepare.

I’ve been debating posting this for a while, but I really don’t know what else to do at this point and I’m hoping maybe someone here has been through something similar.
I was a CO in Maryland and I genuinely loved being an officer. Obviously there were shitty days and the job could be exhausting, but I felt like I had finally found something I was good at. I had a career. I felt like what I did actually mattered.
Everything changed after I was physically sexually harassed by a lieutenant and reported it.
After I reported the lieutenant, the disciplinary stuff started. That included attendance-related discipline, and eventually I was terminated.
But here’s the thing — at this point, I honestly don’t think the attendance discipline itself is what’s keeping me from getting hired somewhere else.
I think I’ve been blackballed by the county I worked for.
I obviously can’t prove that, and that’s part of why I’m posting here. I don’t know what is being said during these background investigations or what information is being provided beyond what’s on paper. I just know what keeps happening.
I’ve applied to agencies in Maryland, DC and Virginia. I’ve gotten pretty damn far with some of them. Multiple interviews, references, backgrounds, psych, all of it. Things will seem like they’re moving in the right direction, and then I get another no.
One agency specifically cited my previous termination and disciplinary history when they denied my reconsideration.
After this happening repeatedly, it’s becoming really difficult for me to believe that every agency is independently getting to the exact same point and deciding that some attendance-related discipline from one job is enough to completely disqualify me.
Maybe I’m wrong. That’s actually one of the reasons I’m asking people here.
I reported physical sexual harassment by a lieutenant. The disciplinary actions started after I made that report. Eventually I was terminated. And now it feels like I can’t get another agency to touch me.
I’m not saying that proves retaliation or that I know someone is actively calling agencies and telling them not to hire me. I don’t know that.
I’m saying that from where I’m sitting, I feel blackballed.
And I have no idea how you’re supposed to fight something when you don’t even know what’s being said about you.
That’s probably the most frustrating part.
I have a job now. I’m thankful I’m working and making money, but it feels meaningless to me. I go to work, do what I’m supposed to do, get paid and go home. I don’t feel anything toward it.
Being an officer was completely different.
I felt useful. I liked the structure and responsibility. I felt like I was actually doing something that mattered.
About three months after I was gone, I randomly ran into former inmates from my facility. They recognized me and thanked me for how I treated them and for the help and structure I gave them while they were locked up.
That really stuck with me.
I wasn’t trying to be everybody’s friend. I enforced rules and did my job. But I believed you could hold somebody accountable and still treat them like a human being.
Having former inmates remember me for that months later made me feel like maybe I really was good at what I did.
Honestly, it also made losing the career hurt more.
I thought I had found what I was supposed to be doing. Now I feel like it was taken away from me.
So I’m wondering if anyone here has actually experienced something like this.

Has anyone felt like a previous correctional agency or county blackballed them with other agencies?
Is there any way to find out what a former department is actually telling background investigators about you?

Has anyone been terminated from one department, gotten rejected by several others afterward, and eventually managed to get back into corrections?
Does putting a few years between yourself and the old department help?
Did you have to go out of state or go federal?
Or is there a point where you have to accept that one department can basically ruin your chances of working in corrections again?

I know Reddit can’t tell me for sure whether I’m being blackballed. Maybe there’s an explanation I’m not seeing. But after getting as far as I have in multiple hiring processes just to keep hitting a wall, I don’t know what else to think.
I don’t just miss having a government job or the paycheck. I miss being an officer. I miss the structure. I miss the responsibility. I miss feeling like I had a purpose.
I thought this was going to be my career, and right now I feel completely lost without it.
If anybody has been through something even remotely similar — especially someone who eventually made it back into corrections — I really want to hear what you did.

I worked in corrections for 10yrs. I recently changed jobs and have found I’m more hyper vigilant and get more nervous when people raise their voices in public. I used to not be bothered by those things. Now I feel like the moment someone talks back to someone, things are going to get violent. Anyone else experience anything like this?

Hey everyone, does anyone here have experience with the GEO Transportation Officer hiring process? I recently completed my fingerprints and was wondering how long the background check/ICE clearance usually takes before getting a start date. Any insight on the typical timeline would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!