What disqualifies you from being a correctional officer?

Correctional officers must possess a clean record to be considered eligible for employment at correctional facilities like jails and state and federal prisons. These facilities often have varying policies on requirements, but they almost all do not allow felons to become correctional officers.

Here are the most common requirements for becoming a correctional officer in the United States:

• You must be a U.S. citizen. In certain jurisdictions, those in the process of gaining United States citizenship will also be considered for roles as a correctional officers. Certain states also require you to be a resident of that state to work in a correctional facility that resides in that state.

• You must be at least 18 and sometimes 21 years of age. Most states require you to be at least 18, while some still maintain the age of 21 to be the earliest an individual can become a correctional officer.

  The federal prison system has a required age range of 20 to 37. You can not be younger than 20 or older than 37 when trying to become a correctional officer in federal prison.

• Clean criminal record. Correctional officers are most often disqualified for having misdemeanors or felony convictions in their criminal records. This holds particularly true for those that have offenses concerning:

  • Drug-related crimes

  • Violent crimes, especially domestic violence, regardless of the severity

  • Crimes involving sexual misconduct or sexual abuse

  Correctional officers must possess a clean record to be considered eligible for employment at correctional facilities like jails and state and federal prisons. These facilities often have varying policies on requirements, and in some cases, they might accept applicants with minor offenses on their records.

• You must have a valid driver's license. Most states require a valid driver's license to become a correctional officer. However, some states are lax regarding a driving record with policies like no more than two DUIs or DWIs.

• Physical fitness. During the hiring/recruitment and training processes, candidates undergo physical evaluation, which is done through a physical exam and a physical fitness test.

  The physical exam is fairly standard from state to state, while the physical fitness exam can vary in different states. These are done to test your fitness for the job and to detect any medical issues.