The Correctional Officer: A Practical Guide

Read a sample chapter on security duties here.

The job of today's correctional officer is a demanding one, whether it is working in an adult prison or in a local jail. The correctional officer has the responsibility to safely confine criminal offenders, and, by doing so, properly keeps the public safe. This book is meant to give the reader, whether a student or a trainee, a clear, realistic understanding of what correctional officers do―from patrolling cellblocks, preventing escapes and handling security issues to dealing with various types of offenders and their behaviors. Written by a retired jail officer and adjunct professor with over 27 years of experience in confinement, classification, community corrections, correctional officer training and corrections policy development, this updated edition discusses the following topics:

• Corrections: Definition, Offenders, Goals and Functions
• Types of Correctional Facilities
• Correctional Officers: Personnel Issues and Training
• Early Development: Punishment and Early Prisons
• The Development of the Modern Correctional Facility
• An Examination of Today's Inmate
• Special Populations and Methods of Handling
• Physical Plant and Classification
• Key and Tool Control, Headcounts, Searches and Transportation
• Interacting with Inmates
• Avoiding Manipulation
• Inmate Violence
• The Rights of Inmates

The Correctional Officer is realistically written, features a glossary of commonly used corrections terms and has been updated in detail. Each chapter contains discussion questions to assist both the college instructor and corrections trainer. This book has the following goals:

• To be a training resource for correctional agency training, to be used at the recruit and in service training levels so officers can improve their job skills
• To provide insight into the history, philosophy and evolution of correctional systems
• To provide to the correctional officer social, economical, vocational, educational and behavioral information about criminal offenders
• To give information on maintaining positive traits and job skills that can enhance the career of the correctional officer

Lieutenant Gary Cornelius retired in 2005 from the Fairfax County (VA) Office of the Sheriff, after serving over 27 years in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. His career included assignments in confinement, work release, planning and policy development, programs, and classification.