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The differences between correction officers and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a detective has an average salary of $57,984, which is higher than the $39,369 average annual salary of a correction officer.
The top three skills for a correction officer include public safety, correctional facility and emergency situations. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.
| Correction Officer | Detective | |
| Yearly salary | $39,369 | $57,984 |
| Hourly rate | $18.93 | $27.88 |
| Growth rate | -10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 103,383 | 56,521 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A correction officer is responsible for monitoring the daily activities of individuals serving time in prison, enforcing the standard rules and regulatory procedures to maintain safety and security within the premises. Correction officers' duties include searching for restricted items, inspecting the facilities' condition, observing unusual and suspicious behaviors, generating incident reports, and providing assistance during counseling and trial schedules. Correction officers must be highly knowledgeable of legal regulations. They must also cooperate with court procedures for any investigations within their place of work.
A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.
Correction officers and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Correction Officer | Detective | |
| Average salary | $39,369 | $57,984 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $54,000 | Between $35,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | - |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | - |
| Best paying company | Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company | - |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a correction officer and a detective in terms of educational background:
| Correction Officer | Detective | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | University of Arizona |
Here are the differences between correction officers' and detectives' demographics:
| Correction Officer | Detective | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% | Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 16.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 2.0% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |