As a Corrections Counselor 1 with the Department of Corrections (DOC), you will play a key role in guiding inmates toward positive change. You will support daily adjustment, encourage responsible choices, and help connect inmates with needed programs. This position provides a meaningful way to develop professional skills and serve the State Correctional Institution (SCI) at Smithfield community. Step into a role where steady guidance and communication make a lasting difference.
Corrections Counselors help inmates adjust to the institution by offering support, guidance, and basic casework services. This role focuses on communication, documentation, and helping inmates access programs that support positive behavior. As a Corrections Counselor 1, you will perform the following duties:
- Inmate Interviews: Meet with inmates to discuss adjustment issues, concerns, and available support resources
- Basic Casework: Maintain simple records, prepare routine reports, and document relevant information about inmate progress
- Program Guidance: Provide information about educational, vocational, and re-entry programs, and explain how inmates may access them
- Communication Support: Share important updates with staff, families, and outside agencies in a clear and respectful manner
- Behavior Encouragement: Support positive conduct by offering feedback, discussing expectations, and reinforcing institutional rules
- Caseload Assistance: Help manage routine caseload tasks, organize documents, and assist with preparation for meetings and evaluations
Work Schedule and Additional Information:
- Full-time employment, 40 hours per week
- Work hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday - Friday, with a 30-minute lunch.
- Telework: You will not have the option to telework in this position.
- Salary: Selected candidates who are new to employment with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will begin employment at the starting annual salary of $56,541.00 (before taxes).
- You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.
QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Experience and Training Requirements:
- Three years and six months as a corrections officer, and 18 college credits in any combination of sociology, counseling, psychology, social work, corrections, criminal justice, or a related field; or
- A bachelor’s degree including 18 college credits in any combination of sociology, counseling, psychology, social work, corrections, criminal justice, or a related field; or
- An equivalent combination of experience and training that includes 18 college credits in any combination of sociology, counseling, psychology, social work, corrections, criminal justice, or a related field.
- Applicants will be considered to have met the educational requirements once they are within 3 months of graduating with a qualifying degree.
Special Requirements:
- You must obtain Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network (CLEAN) and Pennsylvania Justice Network (JNET) certification within two months of employment and maintain certification for the duration of employment in this job.
Other Requirements:
- Successful completion of basic training in Elizabethtown, PA is required.
- You must meet the PA residency requirement. For more information on ways to meet PA residency requirements, follow the link and click on Residency Guidelines.
- You must be able to perform essential job functions.
Legal Requirements:
- You must pass a background investigation and meet Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliance requirements.
How to Apply:
- Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position. Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).
- If you are claiming education in your answers to the supplemental application questions, you must attach a copy of your college transcripts for your claim to be accepted toward meeting the minimum requirements. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
- Your application must be submitted by the posting closing date. Late applications and other required materials will not be accepted.
- Failure to comply with the above application requirements may eliminate you from consideration for this position.
- All application materials and interview responses must reflect the applicant’s own experience, qualifications, and work. Applicants may use generative AI tools for preparation purposes only. Use of AI to misrepresent or falsify information, or to assist during interviews, is not permitted. Review the Guidance for Generative AI Tools & Job Seekers for additional information.
Veterans:
- Pennsylvania law (51 Pa. C.S. §7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs. To learn more about employment preferences for veterans, go to www.pa.gov/agencies/employment/how-to-apply.html and click on Veterans.
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS):
- 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).
If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.
The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce. The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law. All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.
- Completing the application, including all supplemental questions, serves as your exam for this position. No additional exam is required at a test center (also referred to as a written exam).
- Your score is based on the detailed information you provide on your application and in response to the supplemental questions.
- Your score is valid for this specific posting only.
- You must provide complete and accurate information or:
- your score may be lower than deserved.
- you may be disqualified.
- You may only apply/test once for this posting.
- Your results will be provided via email.