Juvenile detention officer vs prison guard

The differences between juvenile detention officers and prison guards can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a juvenile detention officer has an average salary of $49,263, which is higher than the $41,596 average annual salary of a prison guard.

The top three skills for a juvenile detention officer include detention facility, direct supervision and juvenile detention. The most important skills for a prison guard are security procedures, emergency situations, and incident reports.

Juvenile detention officer vs prison guard overview

	Juvenile Detention Officer	Prison Guard
Yearly salary	$49,263	$41,596
Hourly rate	$23.68	$20.00
Growth rate	-10%	-10%
Number of jobs	94,230	16,205
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	High School Diploma, 47%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Juvenile detention officer vs prison guard salary

Juvenile detention officers and prison guards have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Juvenile Detention Officer	Prison Guard
Average salary	$49,263	$41,596
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $68,000	Between $30,000 And $56,000
Highest paying City	Urban Honolulu, HI	-
Highest paying state	Hawaii	-
Best paying company	King County	-
Best paying industry	Transportation	-

Differences between juvenile detention officer and prison guard education

There are a few differences between a juvenile detention officer and a prison guard in terms of educational background:

	Juvenile Detention Officer	Prison Guard
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	High School Diploma, 47%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Juvenile detention officer vs prison guard demographics

Here are the differences between juvenile detention officers' and prison guards' demographics:

	Juvenile Detention Officer	Prison Guard
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 59.5% Female, 40.5%	Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 2.0% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 15.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 2.0% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between juvenile detention officer and prison guard duties and responsibilities

Juvenile detention officer example responsibilities.

Manage booking area and process all non-English speaking detainees; streamline process and reduce confrontational situations through effective communication and leadership.
Attend regular training and maintain appropriate certifications such as CPR, first aid, crisis intervention, and suicide prevention.
Provide counseling, guidance, and assessment services for juvenile rehabilitation in a youth detention facility.
Operate and log information into JIS data system.
Gain several certifications including CPR.
Document program activities, monitors security operations, and performs a variety of administrative duties design to facilitate juvenile rehabilitation.

Prison guard example responsibilities.

Carry and operate various types of firearms as necessary and under authorization outside the facility.
Perform basic first aid procedures and cardiopulmonary resuscitation which involves kneeling and bending.

Juvenile detention officer vs prison guard skills

Common juvenile detention officer skills

Detention Facility, 12%
Direct Supervision, 10%
Juvenile Detention, 8%
CPR, 8%
Incident Reports, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 4%

Common prison guard skills

Security Procedures, 28%
Emergency Situations, 18%
Incident Reports, 9%
Security Checks, 9%
Correctional Facility, 7%
CPR, 6%

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Juvenile Detention Officer
Juvenile Detention Officer vs Prison Guard

Updated January 8, 2025

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