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What does a senior corrections officer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
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Senior corrections officer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior corrections officer resumes:

  • Manage behavior modification and offender restoration rehabilitation.
  • Provide first aid and CPR as needed, within the scope of receive training.
  • Arm perimeter surveillance and patrol facility.
  • Maintain a continuing responsibility in direct regards to foot patrol of the designated facility which require security.
  • Complete specialized training in firearms proficiency, self-defense, management of medical emergencies, safety management and interpersonal communication skills.
  • Manage behavior modification and offender restoration rehabilitation.
  • Certify & authorize firearm correctional officer who respond to calls for law enforcement assistance; gather information for criminal investigations.
  • Issue weapons and ammunition for transportation officers.
  • Manage behavior modification and offender restoration rehabilitation.

Senior corrections officer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 16% of Senior Corrections Officers are proficient in Public Safety, Patrol, and Criminal Justice. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Interpersonal skills, and Physical strength.

We break down the percentage of Senior Corrections Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Public Safety, 16%

    Provided public safety and security through the custody and management of those individuals incarcerated within the Criminal Justice System.

  • Patrol, 14%

    Maintain a continuing responsibility in direct regards to foot patrol of the designated facility which required security.

  • Criminal Justice, 8%

    Bachelor of Science in Criminology & Criminal Justice with concentration in corrections.

  • Correctional Facility, 7%

    Record of accomplishments in providing peace, security, and safety within a maximum security New Jersey State Correctional Facility.

  • Emergency Situations, 6%

    Take prompt and decisive action to manage emergency situations and authorize changes in institutional operations when necessary.

  • Rehabilitation, 5%

    Perform duties in accordance with established policies, regulations and procedures to encourage and assist convicted persons toward complete rehabilitation.

Common skills that a senior corrections officer uses to do their job include "public safety," "patrol," and "criminal justice." You can find details on the most important senior corrections officer responsibilities below.

Detail oriented. One of the key soft skills for a senior corrections officer to have is detail oriented. You can see how this relates to what senior corrections officers do because "correctional officers and bailiffs follow and enforce procedures in correctional facilities and courts to ensure safety." Additionally, a senior corrections officer resume shows how senior corrections officers use detail oriented: "transport inmates to and from medical and dental appointments, funerals, work details and court hearings. "

Interpersonal skills. Many senior corrections officer duties rely on interpersonal skills. "correctional officers and bailiffs must be able to interact and communicate effectively with people in custody, visitors, and other officers of penal institutions and the court to maintain order.," so a senior corrections officer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways senior corrections officer responsibilities rely on interpersonal skills: "completed specialized training in firearms proficiency, self-defense, management of medical emergencies, safety management and interpersonal communication skills. "

Physical strength. This is an important skill for senior corrections officers to perform their duties. For an example of how senior corrections officer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "correctional officers and bailiffs must be able to physically subdue people as necessary, including those in or visiting penal institutions and those attending court proceedings." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior corrections officer: "operate facility main control rooms to prevent disasters/crisis and maintain security utilize physical intervention techniques to secure combative youth".

Most common senior corrections officer skills

The three companies that hire the most senior corrections officers are:

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Senior Corrections Officer Resume
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Compare different senior corrections officers

Senior corrections officer vs. Jailer

A police corporal is a person who leads a team or squad depending on how many corporals are there in a platoon. Police corporals supervise the performance of the police personnel assigned under their command. They are tasked to oversee, train, organize, and direct the activities of law enforcement personnel. It is their duty to take care of and observe the conduct of soldiers. Their leadership role is necessary and maintained on and off the battlefield.

The annual salary of jailers is $140 higher than the average salary of senior corrections officers.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both senior corrections officer and jailer positions are skilled in emergency situations, direct supervision, and security procedures.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, senior corrections officer responsibilities require skills like "public safety," "patrol," "criminal justice," and "correctional facility." Meanwhile a typical jailer has skills in areas such as "booking," "emergency first aid," "ncic," and "jail facility." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Jailers tend to reach similar levels of education than senior corrections officers. In fact, jailers are 4.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Senior corrections officer vs. Matron

On average, matrons earn a $13,331 lower salary than senior corrections officers a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Senior corrections officers and matrons both require similar skills like "emergency situations," "incident reports," and "cpr" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that senior corrections officer responsibilities requires skills like "public safety," "patrol," "criminal justice," and "correctional facility." But a matron might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "emergency calls," "customer service," "clean bathrooms," and "seat belts."

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Matrons tend to reach similar levels of education than senior corrections officers. In fact, they're 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior corrections officer vs. Deputy jailer

An average deputy jailer eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of senior corrections officers. The difference in salaries amounts to deputy jailers earning a $8,576 higher average salary than senior corrections officers.senior corrections officers and deputy jailers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "emergency situations," "direct supervision," and "security procedures," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a senior corrections officer is likely to be skilled in "public safety," "patrol," "criminal justice," and "correctional facility," while a typical deputy jailer is skilled in "booking," "correctional facilities," "county jail," and "jail facility."

When it comes to education, deputy jailers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to senior corrections officers. In fact, they're 3.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Senior corrections officer vs. Corporal

Corporals average a higher salary than the annual salary of senior corrections officers. The difference is about $11,341 per year.According to resumes from senior corrections officers and corporals, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "public safety," "emergency situations," and "incident reports. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "patrol," "criminal justice," "correctional facility," and "provides supervision" are skills that commonly show up on senior corrections officer resumes. On the other hand, corporals use skills like combat, non, vehicle maintenance, and weapons systems on their resumes.The government industry tends to pay the highest salaries for corporals, with average annual pay of $54,916. Comparatively, the highest senior corrections officer annual salary comes from the government industry.corporals reach similar levels of education compared to senior corrections officers, in general. The difference is that they're 1.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of senior corrections officer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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