33-3012.00 · Task explorer
Correctional Officers and Jailers: reported tasks and exploration worksheet
Guard inmates in penal or rehabilitative institutions in accordance with established regulations and procedures. May guard prisoners in transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other point. Includes deputy sheriffs and police who spend the majority of their time guarding prisoners in correctional institutions.
Use the skill profile to plan your next practice →
Read the task inventory
This source lists 27 tasks, including 21 marked Core and 6 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.
Task source dates: 08/2023.
27 tasks shown
Core · Task 15252 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present.
Core · Task 15254 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes.
Core · Task 15253 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Monitor conduct of prisoners in housing unit, or during work or recreational activities, according to established policies, regulations, and procedures, to prevent escape or violence.
Core · Task 15256 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs.
Core · Task 2102 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Guard facility entrances to screen visitors.
Core · Task 15255 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Record information, such as prisoner identification, charges, and incidents of inmate disturbance, keeping daily logs of prisoner activities.
Core · Task 2104 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Inspect mail for the presence of contraband.
Core · Task 2117 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Maintain records of prisoners' identification and charges.
Core · Task 2107 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Use weapons, handcuffs, and physical force to maintain discipline and order among prisoners.
Core · Task 15261 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Use nondisciplinary tools and equipment, such as a computer.
Core · Task 2108 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Conduct fire, safety, and sanitation inspections.
Core · Task 2105 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Take prisoners into custody and escort to locations within and outside of facility, such as visiting room, courtroom, or airport.
Core · Task 15258 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Participate in required job training.
Core · Task 15259 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Serve meals, distribute commissary items, and dispense prescribed medication to prisoners.
Core · Task 2110 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Settle disputes between inmates.
Core · Task 2109 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Provide to supervisors oral and written reports of the quality and quantity of work performed by inmates, inmate disturbances and rule violations, and unusual occurrences.
Core · Task 2111 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Drive passenger vehicles and trucks used to transport inmates to other institutions, courtrooms, hospitals, and work sites.
Core · Task 15260 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Counsel inmates and respond to legitimate questions, concerns, and requests.
Core · Task 2113 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Assign duties to inmates, providing instructions as needed.
Core · Task 2114 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Issue clothing, tools, and other authorized items to inmates.
Core · Task 2112 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Arrange daily schedules for prisoners, including library visits, work assignments, family visits, and counseling appointments.
Supplemental · Task 2103 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Search for and recapture escapees.
Supplemental · Task 15257 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Process or book convicted individuals into prison.
Supplemental · Task 2118 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Supervise and coordinate work of other correctional service officers.
Supplemental · Task 23976 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Take fingerprints of arrestees, prisoners, or the general public.
Supplemental · Task 2116 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Investigate crimes that have occurred within an institution, or assist police in their investigations of crimes and inmates.
Supplemental · Task 2119 · 08/2023 · Incumbent
Sponsor inmate recreational activities, such as newspapers and self-help groups.
Make the shortlist useful
- Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
- For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
- Keep source task IDs with your notes so you can return to the same description. Do not include private employer or customer information.
The exported worksheet distinguishes the reported task from your own notes. It supports exploration, not a hiring decision or a validated assessment.
Keep your worksheet
Download before leaving this page. Unsaved writing remains only in the page and is cleared on refresh. Notes and learning actions are not sent to a server. This guide describes an occupation and supports study planning; it does not provide clinical, legal or equipment-operating procedures.
Source and practice material
Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.
Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.