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

What is a corrections specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a corrections specialist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.54 an hour? That's $40,653 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -10% and produce -42,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCorrections SpecialistUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $40,653

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate -10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.93%

Asian 2.01%

Black or African American 15.31%

Hispanic or Latino 17.91%

Unknown 5.22%

White 58.61%

Gender

female 43.68%

male 56.32%

Age - 40

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 - 40

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a corrections specialist

Explore corrections specialist education requirements

Most common corrections specialist degrees

Bachelor's

44.4 %

Associate

23.1 %

High School Diploma

20.5 %

Start to develop specific corrections specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Public Safety	18.19%
Criminal Justice	12.47%
Data Entry	9.13%
Correctional Facility	8.47%
Direct Supervision	6.56%

Complete relevant corrections specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New corrections specialists 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 specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real corrections specialist resumes.

Research corrections specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage behavior modification and offender restoration rehabilitation.
Certify in first aid, and CPR.
Prepare correctional reports and records.
Manage behavior modification and offender restoration rehabilitation.

Prepare your corrections specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your corrections specialist 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 specialist 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 specialist resume templates

Build a professional corrections specialist 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 specialist resume.

Apply for corrections specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a corrections specialist 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 specialists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Corrections specialist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2022

Pros

Accountability

Cons

Cert don't have to help work post when facilities are short..

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022