Correctional Officers keep a close watch on their careers, too.

It takes a special person to be a correctional officer. One who is tough yet caring. One who can give orders yet listen. One who is a confident individual yet an excellent teammate. If that’s you, this is a terrific opportunity to start or continue a corrections career. As you’ll soon see, a career as a CCA correctional officer is satisfying in itself, but can also lead to other positions in the company. Make no mistake, though, correctional officers are the backbone of Corrections Corporation of America, playing a vital role in the day-to-day operations of the company. They’re so important, they make up 65% of CCA’s overall workforce of more than 16,000 professionals. Correctional officers ensure safety and security to fellow officers, inmates and the community.

What is a correctional officer?

Corrections is a dynamic field and CCA correctional officers are not simply guards who watch inmates. Rather, they are leaders who manage CCA's private jails and prisons, provide a host of educational and rehabilitative services, mentor the inmates, and train the less experienced correctional staff. Furthermore, correctional officers play an essential role in CCA’s mission of helping to return better citizens to society while protecting the community.

As their basic duty, CCA correctional officers maintain order and provide for the security, care and direct supervision of offenders in housing units, at meals, during recreation, on work assignments and during all other phases of activity in a correctional facility. However, a correctional officer’s duties will vary depending on his or her post of assignment, which may include Armory/Key Control, Perimeter, Segregation, Medical, Kitchen, Recreation, Central Control, Visitation, Utility/Escort, Roving, Housing, Transportation, Intake/Property, Work Detail, Education and Laundry. Thus, there’s enough variety to provide constant stimulation and keep you involved.

Why choose a career with CCA?

CCA offers you the opportunity for a lifelong corrections management career, building on professional growth opportunities ranging from training to travel to promotions.

More exciting, perhaps, is the fact that becoming a correctional officer with CCA is not simply a job, but the beginning of a career. Why? Because you’ll always have the opportunity to move your career forward. New positions are posted first within the company, to allow current employees to take advantage of opportunities for promotions or transfers. In fact, we encourage experienced corrections officers to apply for positions of increased responsibility to advance their careers.

The profession of a correctional officer is filled with exciting challenges and meaningful rewards. One such reward is the fact that you’ll make a positive impact on inmates, sometimes helping to turn their lives around. Imagine the satisfaction of doing something like that. Imagine becoming part of an honorable profession where you can make a difference by offering second chances to those individuals who need it most, and providing a meaningful service to society by keeping our communities safe. CCA looks for the best and brightest to join our dedicated, skilled team of corrections professionals who share the same goal—to change lives and serve society.

Visit our Available Jobs section for a list of current job openings at a CCA facility near you. And for a complete listing of all CCA private jail and prison facilities visit the link to our Facilities Location Map.