- Managing the housing unit to ensure a safe and humane environment: Recruit’s use observation and communication to maximize compliant inmate behavior and minimize the occurrence of disruptive inmate behavior in the housing unit. Recruits communicate rules and expectations to inmates clearly, and respond immediately to all incidents of inmate misbehavior and emergencies.
- Handling inmate discipline: Recruit’s respond fairly and effectively when disciplining inmates for disruptive behavior or rule violations.
- Responding to inmate requests: Recruit’s make every effort to answer inmates and search for the answers even if they are not available in the housing unit. Recruit’s avoid inmate manipulation.
- Building positive rapport and personal credibility with inmates: Recruit’s create an environment of mutual respect by demonstrating consistency and a courteous manner and by following through on commitments made to inmates (e.g.: finding answers to questions an inmate has asked)..
- Supervising in a clear, well-organized, and attention-getting manner: Recruit’s effectively organize, supervise, and encourage inmates by ensuring inmates are provided with opportunities for informal activities, speaking with inmates throughout the day, and observing the housing unit while making rounds and spending time away from the desk.
- Resolving inmate problems and conflicts: Recruit’s provide problem-solving guidance for inmates, recognize the steps in resolving inmate conflicts, and manage the behavior of inmates involved in confrontational situations.
- Maintaining effective administration and staff relations: Recruit’s know facility rules, policies and procedures and apply them consistently, coordinate activities with coworkers, support the authority of staff members, and communicate with supervisors and other administrators.
- Communicates with inmates, giving information and directions, mediating disputes, and advising inmates of rights and processes
- Listensto inmates complaints; and resolves inmates' conflicts and problems. Observes and reports on inmate behavior, enforces rules and regulations in maintaining custody of inmates.
- Observes inmates' demeanor to determine mental state and possible need for treatment and/or closer observation.
- Reviews logs and reports from previous shift; maintains knowledge of inmate population, and cell assignments.
- Prepares various reports and logs, utilizing department computers and programs.
- Controls inmate movement in the facility through control of doors and elevators.
- Monitors locations of medical and counseling staff to ensure their safety.
- Supervises inmate visitation; assists visitors; inspects items brought to the facility for inmates; and screens and monitors persons seeking access to secure areas within the facility.
Job Specifications:
Education : High School diploma or equivalent
Other education, experience skills, etc.:
Ability to respond quickly and effectively in various situations
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employee’s at all organizational levels, inmates and the public.
• Ability to exercise fair and impartial judgment in dealing with people of varied age, sex, and ethnic groups.
• Ability to work under stress.
• Ability to read and interpret materials as needed when reading federal and state laws and City and Parish and other municipal ordinances.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely in English, verbally and in writing.
• Ability to prepare routine and special reports and projects as assigned.
• Ability to work well with varied and demanding people.
• Ability to work from broad direction with limited supervision.
• Ability to work well with culturally diverse people.
• Ability to clearly and logically organize information.
• Ability to identify, analyzes, and addresses problems and trends in a timely, efficient, and equitable manner.
• Ability to organize activities in order to complete tasks in accordance with priorities and address multiple demands, or meet deadlines.
• Ability to focus attention on complex, routine and/or repetitive tasks, without losing concentration or being distracted by external activities.
• Ability to adapt to interruptions, equipment failures, unusual demands, or changing priorities; handle confidential information; and coordinate, analyze and utilize a variety of reports and records.
Job-related environmental factors
• The employee routinely works in an indoor environment, but will occasionally work in outdoor weather conditions.
• The employee occasionally works near moving mechanical parts; in high, precarious places; and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, extreme cold, extreme heat, and vibration. The employee works a significant amount of time inside a detention center, dealing on a daily basis with inmates. While good behavior is expected of the inmates, some contact may be had with inmates who are or may be violent or have a mental illness.
• Working conditions can be highly stressful.
• This position also involves shift work including weekends, holidays, and overtime as needed.
• The noise level in the work environment is moderately noisy.
Physical demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
The physical demands category is classified as Very Heavy (Exert in excess of 100 lbs. of force occasionally, and/or in excess of 50 lbs. of force frequently, and/or in excess of 20 lbs. of force constantly to move objects).
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; talk; hear; stand; walk; run; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, night vision and the ability to adjust focus.
