Correctional Officer Interview Questions

Correctional Officer Interview Questions

Correctional Officers monitor inmates ensuring they are supervised, safe, and secure by enforcing the rules and regulations of the correctional facility. Duties can include restraining inmates, completing incident reports, and inspecting cells. Correctional Officers are found in various settings including federal, state, and county prisons and jails.

Top Corrections Officer Interview Questions & How to Answer

Question 1

Question #1: What personality traits do you feel are important for corrections officers to possess?

How to answer
How to answer: This open-ended question is used to determine what type of person you feel is expected to fill the role of a corrections officer. It allows you the opportunity to demonstrate qualities that may not typically be used to describe a corrections officer, including compassion and empathy. List and describe personality traits you feel are important to a corrections officer, with examples when possible of how you demonstrate these traits.
Question 2

Question #2: How would you react if an officer is engaged in a physical fight with a prisoner?

How to answer
How to answer: This open-ended question is designed to demonstrate your ability to handle stressful situations, solve problems, and de-escalate volatile situations. In cases such as this, you will need to think and act decisively as well as quickly to break up the fight in the best way possible. Provide a detailed explanation, including how you would act and what you would say.
Question 3

Question #3: Is there a time when you could use communication to prevent something terrible or de-escalate a situation?

How to answer
How to answer: This open-ended question allows you to speak to your communication and interpersonal skills and how you can use them to keep situations under control. Describe interactions with prisoners and fellow officers to bring back control, prevent bad results, or de-escalate situations.

628 correctional officer interview questions shared by candidates

Most starting officers come from all walks of life. If you have previous security or military experience you just have to emphasize the skills you used there. One standard question is: based on your previous career, what skill do you think will transfer over to corrections?
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Correctional Officer

Interviewed at Corrections Corporation of America

2.8
Dec 8, 2016

Most starting officers come from all walks of life. If you have previous security or military experience you just have to emphasize the skills you used there. One standard question is: based on your previous career, what skill do you think will transfer over to corrections?

Perhaps the most surprising interview question wasn't a question at all. After a break between two questions, one of the panel members appeared to become increasingly agitated by one of my answers. He began yelling at me, telling me I was "ignorant" and the answer was "ridiculous." He rose from his chair shouting to the other panel members to have me removed.
avatar

Community Corrections Officer

Interviewed at Washington Department of Corrections

2.9
Sep 6, 2012

Perhaps the most surprising interview question wasn't a question at all. After a break between two questions, one of the panel members appeared to become increasingly agitated by one of my answers. He began yelling at me, telling me I was "ignorant" and the answer was "ridiculous." He rose from his chair shouting to the other panel members to have me removed.

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Glassdoor has 628 interview questions and reports from Correctional officer interviews. Prepare for your interview. Get hired. Love your job.