Prison officer vs juvenile detention officer

The differences between prison officers and juvenile detention officers 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 $43,925 average annual salary of a prison officer.

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

Prison officer vs juvenile detention officer overview

	Prison Officer	Juvenile Detention Officer
Yearly salary	$43,925	$49,263
Hourly rate	$21.12	$23.68
Growth rate	-10%	-10%
Number of jobs	57,229	94,230
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Prison officer vs juvenile detention officer salary

Prison officers and juvenile detention officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Prison Officer	Juvenile Detention Officer
Average salary	$43,925	$49,263
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $58,000	Between $35,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	King County
Best paying industry	-	Transportation

Differences between prison officer and juvenile detention officer education

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

	Prison Officer	Juvenile Detention Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Prison officer vs juvenile detention officer demographics

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

	Prison Officer	Juvenile Detention Officer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%	Male, 59.5% Female, 40.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 17.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 2.3% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between prison officer and juvenile detention officer duties and responsibilities

Prison officer example responsibilities.

Complete fire safety, CPR, self-defense and investigation/observation training, along with behavioral awareness/management training.
Serve as loader of special ammunition weapon; prepare ammunition while exercising safety precautions.

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 officer vs juvenile detention officer skills

Common prison officer skills

Security Checks, 58%
Incident Reports, 42%

Common juvenile detention officer skills

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

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Prison Officer
Prison Officer vs Juvenile Detention Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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