To become a jailer, you need a high school education, hands-on experience, and physical fitness. Some county jails require training based on American Jail Association guidelines, while others require an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Each facility has different requirements, and some prefer no previous experience.
If you choose to become a jailer, you assume primary responsibility for monitoring the behavior of people who have committed crimes. You will typically also complete other tasks, including booking and releasing prisoners, which require a significant amount of paperwork and/or computer work to complete. Being a jailer can be strenuous activities at times and can be very stressful. There are many skills a jailer must possess, but these skills do not necessarily need to be learned by completing a college degree. Also, having a high school education, being 18 years old, and gaining hands-on experience is usually all that is required for you to become a jailer.
Some county jails do not require their jailers to obtain a college education. They simply require jailers to have a secondary education and complete training. Often in the United States, this type of training for jailers is based on guidelines from the American Jail Association. Depending on the exact type of training program being completed, it usually takes a person anywhere from several weeks to several months to complete. When a county jail requires a college degree, it is most often an associate’s or bachelor’s degree with a concentration in criminal justice.
You must possess certain skills to become a jailer. You will often need to be computer literate as inmates are often booked and released electronically and digitally. You must also be able to intervene when inmates act up; this will require you to remain in good physical condition. Generally, a minimal amount of maintenance skills are required as you will need to maintain maintenance on the inmates’ premises, including inspecting locks, windows, and more.
Most correctional facilities will require you to have hands-on experience before being hired. This hands-on experience can sometimes be substituted for military experience. If you don’t have any military experience, a minimum of 3 years supervising others is usually required.
It is important to remember that each correctional facility and county jail differs in its requirements for becoming a jailer. Some even prefer that you have no previous experience so they can train you exactly as they prefer. If you know the exact facility you want to be employed by, you should contact them and identify the exact requirements a jailer has.
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