The primary duty of Correctional Officers is to maintain custody and supervise the conduct of inmates in prisons, penitentiaries, conservation camps and community correctional work centers. Officers supervise inmates during work, meals, bathing, recreation and in all other activities, and escort them during transfers inside and outside of the institution. For example, they transport prisoners from one facility to another and accompany them to court appearances. Officers must periodically count and search inmates and inspect their living quarters. Officers secure towers, gates and fences, and if escapes occur, help search for and recapture escapees.
Officers also admit, instruct and escort authorized visitors and supervise visits to inmates.
Helping to prepare offenders for return to society is an important part of the Correctional Officer's job. Officers strive to build good relationships with inmates as an aid in promoting socially acceptable attitudes and behavior. They may sponsor inmate newspapers and self-help groups. Some work in small, minimum-security conservation camps located in forest and brush lands throughout the State. There is some potential for personal harm, although the nature and extent of danger vary with each assignment.