Detention sergeant vs correction officer

The differences between detention sergeants and correction officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a correction officer has an average salary of $39,369, which is higher than the $39,115 average annual salary of a detention sergeant.

The top three skills for a detention sergeant include direct supervision, booking and emergency situations. The most important skills for a correction officer are public safety, correctional facility, and emergency situations.

Detention sergeant vs correction officer overview

	Detention Sergeant	Correction Officer
Yearly salary	$39,115	$39,369
Hourly rate	$18.81	$18.93
Growth rate	-10%	-10%
Number of jobs	470	103,383
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	High School Diploma, 30%
Average age	47	40
Years of experience	4	-

Detention sergeant vs correction officer salary

Detention sergeants and correction officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Detention Sergeant	Correction Officer
Average salary	$39,115	$39,369
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $52,000	Between $28,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	-	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between detention sergeant and correction officer education

There are a few differences between a detention sergeant and a correction officer in terms of educational background:

	Detention Sergeant	Correction Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	High School Diploma, 30%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Detention sergeant vs correction officer demographics

Here are the differences between detention sergeants' and correction officers' demographics:

	Detention Sergeant	Correction Officer
Average age	47	40
Gender ratio	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%	Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 0.6% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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%
LGBT Percentage	18%	6%

Differences between detention sergeant and correction officer duties and responsibilities

Detention sergeant example responsibilities.

Monitor and manage enlisted promotion boards and actions; publish promotion orders for soldiers being promote to SGT and SSG.
Conduct classroom instruction in engagement techniques, limit visibility gunnery, target classification, range determination, and field reconnaissance.
Ensure all ammunition are accounted for upon issuing/receiving from assign officers.

Correction officer example responsibilities.

Manage behavior modification and offender restoration rehabilitation.
Implement defensive tactics and physical restraints to maintain the safety and security of the general public.
Conduct NCIC background reports on all new inmates within the facility.
Collect felony DNA enter finger prints into live scan for NCIC.
finger prints and background information and placement in to the pod )
Feed, book-in inmates, control movement and supervise medical treatment.

Detention sergeant vs correction officer skills

Common detention sergeant skills

Direct Supervision, 30%
Booking, 20%
Emergency Situations, 15%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 10%
CPR, 8%
Disciplinary Actions, 6%

Common correction officer skills

Public Safety, 27%
Correctional Facility, 11%
Emergency Situations, 9%
Security Checks, 5%
Incident Reports, 5%
CPR, 5%

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Protective Service Industry
Detention Sergeant
Detention Sergeant vs Correction Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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