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.
A significant percentage of inmates are either totally illiterate or functionally illiterate. Possibly as much as 25%, certainly at least half that. Inmates manage to communicate between one another without that much difficulty, mostly verbally or even non-verbal "body language" communication. There is also a significant number of non-English speaking inmates in the system. The phrase "school to prison pipeline" generally refers to people dropping out of school and ending up in prison. There is also a "books not bars" undercurrent, at least in CA, that assumes (incorrectly) that making school more available to people will mean less people in prison. There is MANDATORY k-12 education in California and most other states as far as I know. You have to work REAL HARD to be kicked out of the system. You don't have to work that hard to stay in and at least TRY to get an education. In my experience most people in prison have CHOSEN to be there. They have deliberately adopted a criminal lifestyle for whatever reason. That reason does not, generally speaking, include lack of educational opportunity (IMHO). I admit it is something of a chicken and egg thing, but I believe that the criminal mindset and lifestyle pushes the education problem, not the other way around..
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What happens next is that someone, usually a Lieutenant, holds a hearing on the administrative charge and determines what, if any, punishment will be applied.
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As far as I now you can not be hired as a peace officer until you are 20 1/2 and can not begin work until you are 21. Some jurisdictions also hire "jailers" (various titles in various areas) that are not peace officers and which you could possibly be hired for at age 18. You could also look into non=peace officer employment with an agency until you get the age in. Also many community colleges have correctional science programs which might give you a leg up. I would stay away from privately operated training systems. IMHO they are of dubious value. Good luck.
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I don't know for sure but my guess is YES, assuming you clear the psych of course. Whether you WILL be called for the December academy is another matter. I don't know how quickly they fill up, what the last-minute no-show rate is or any of that stuff any more. In any event, congrats, premature though that may be
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When I hired on all the background, etc. was handled locally for each hiring authority and was not even slightly centralized. I think personally that, after 60 days (Dec 15) I would send them a polite note to inquire about your status. If they say DO NOT CALL I would be inclined to not call.
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They are primarily paper pushers. They prepare board reports, pre-release reports and stuff like that. Their principle attribute must be the ability to think critically and write clearly and concisely. they must have a good understanding of "the system" and how it works.
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As an entry level employee they will be much more interested in your general background than in your specific knowledge of the job. It is very likely they have a web site and it is possible they have a new employee orientation packet or even a prison rule book on line. Being familiar with this sort of thing is not necessary, but it certainly doesn't hurt. IN addition being able to speak standard English coherently and write a decent report are both very desirable skills. In some places they want you to write a brief narrative at the interview site, bring it in with you and read it out load to the panel. Good luck.
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