How To Become A Corrections Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a corrections counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Juleen Buser Ph.D.

Corrections counselors play a vital role in the rehabilitation of inmates and parolees in prisons, jails, or probation agencies. Their main responsibility is to handle counseling sessions of criminal offenders and evaluate their progress for case reports. They use their counseling and rehabilitation training to help inmates and parolees identify the root causes of their behavior and find ways to change these behaviors to become better members of society.

Another primary role of a corrections counselor is to determine if and when offenders can be released. They work with parole boards and probation officers to develop parole and release plans, which aim to help offenders avoid committing crimes when they are back in society.

The basic educational requirement for a corrections counselor is a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, social work, psychology, or another similar field. However, having a master's degree can increase one's chances of job placement. Apart from this, corrections counselors also undergo at least six months of training before facilities hire them for a permanent position. In some states, counselors also need to pass certification tests during or after this mandatory training.

On average, a corrections counselor makes around $44,000 a year. And since there is no shortage of correctional facilities in the country, the opportunities for this role are vast.

What general advice would you give to a corrections counselor?

Juleen Buser Ph.D.

Professor and Director, School Counseling and Coaching Programs, Rider University

Counseling Services (school counseling concentration) and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (we have a CMHC concentration and a Dance Movement Therapy concentration in this program). The general advice I would give to graduates starting positions in the counseling field would be to understand the critical importance of the work of helping professionals. Counselors optimally provide a safe space for clients to discuss their fears, worries, anxieties, joys, traumas, insecurities, accomplishments, etc. This ability to be an empathic, listening, accepting presence will be even more crucial for clients in our current situation.

ScoreCorrections CounselorUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,875

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 3.74%

Black or African American 10.64%

Hispanic or Latino 14.20%

Unknown 3.76%

White 67.03%

Gender

female 50.66%

male 49.34%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

9.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a corrections counselor

Explore corrections counselor education requirements

Most common corrections counselor degrees

Bachelor's

60.9 %

Master's

16.0 %

Associate

15.3 %

Start to develop specific corrections counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Mental Health	16.19%
Substance Abuse	16.09%
Social Work	9.62%
Crisis Intervention	6.26%
Rehabilitation	5.63%

Complete relevant corrections counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New corrections counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a corrections counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real corrections counselor resumes.

Research corrections counselor duties and responsibilities

Train in pepper spray, handcuffs, and CPR.
Provide first aid and or CPR as needed.
Administer risk/needs assessment to offenders using motivational interviewing techniques.
Utilize and demonstrate proficiency in risk reduction skills including motivational interviewing and cognitive strategies.

Prepare your corrections counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your corrections counselor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a corrections counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable corrections counselor resume templates

Build a professional corrections counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your corrections counselor resume.

Apply for corrections counselor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a corrections counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do corrections counselors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

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1 star

Corrections counselor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024

Cons

can be easy to get burnt out, pay is ok

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2022

Pros

Helping others

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019