Correctional Officers, Occupational Duties of

Correctional officers perform a variety of duties and may work in the state or federal correctional system or work as a sheriff deputy or jail officer in the county jail system. This entry focuses on the occupational duties of the state correctional officers since custodial workers at the state level constitute the bulk of correctional employees. A brief overview of correctional officers, their rank structure, academy training, and some of the primary characteristics of correctional works are discussed. The duties of correctional officers and their underlying purposes are then described in some detail, followed by a discussion of occupational stress.