Bob Walsh
Stockton, CA
Male, 60
I worked for the California state system, starting as a Correctional Officer and retiring as a Lieutenant in 2005. I now write for the PacoVilla blog which is concerned with what could broadly be called The Correctional System.
Assuming it is an entry level position (it is in CA where I worked) they will not expect you to know much about the actual job. That is what they have training academies for. They will be interested in your general notions about the prison system, use of force and that sort of thing. They may want some basic info about your writing skills (way back when a short written presentation was part of the oral exam. I don't know if it still is or not). They may wonder about how you feel about shift work. The truth is always a good response in such things. Thoughtful responses but not off-the-cuff are also good. Flippant is bad. They will want to know about any potential blips in your history, like drug use, recent minor criminal activity, even a history of minor traffic infractions is often a red flag as it can indicate a lack of respect for authority or "the system." DUI, especially moderately recent, is also a bad thing. It is good if you have an honest and sincere interest in a CAREER as opposed to just a job. Flexibility is good. If you go in telling them you can't work nights or weekend because of this or that or the other thing they are likely to think you are not truly interested in the gig, or you will be as problem child if you get the gig.
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I have no idea what a Correctional Service Technician does or where they work. I am guessing it is an entry level job so they may ask you questions within the field that fit into the MQs (minimum qualifications). They are also likely to ask you questions about your general ideas re: interactions with inmates. They may also be interested in your attendance and/or job preformance at a previous job or school and your communication skills, especially writing skills. Wish I could be more helpful but I am having trouble visualizing the job. It sounds like you will be functionally a supervisor-lead person for a crew of inmate janitors.
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it depends a huge amount of the jurisdiction. in California now parole is virtually automatic. they are trying to reduce sentences. in some states they are very snotty about it, especially depending on the offense and record of priors.
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A lot of it will depend on you. The first two years it will be hard due to the llve-in academy followed by several months of rotating shifts. After he gets settled in to a regular job with known days off and a known shift it gets better, much better. (Some people bid for a VR (vacation relief) job when they can so they get some good gigs along with some crappy gigs.) When you get some seniority you can start bidding for jobs that you will probably like, working with people or working with situations that appeal to you. Some people never get used to it. Most people do. The closer to retirement it gets the more it looks like it was a good decision. Mule Creek is a relatively new, well laid out prison in a nice area. Last I heard it had a decent administration that supported the staff.
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Veterinarian
Who are the bigger hypochondriacs: dog owners or cat owners?
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Do you catch less marijuana at the border now that it's being decriminalized in some States?
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What's your favorite bottle of wine for under $20?
Least enjoyable aspect of the job was people on occasion trying to kill me. Most enjoyable was general job satisfaction coming from doing a job that I was good at and that had social relevance and importance. Pay started at about $1,000 per month, but that was 35 years ago.
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Depends. In CA there is, at least in some areas, a lot of friction between the CHP and CDCR and the chippies cut CDCR officers no slack. In most areas (as far as I know) the locals cut CDCR some slack, as long as the officer in question isn't acting like an idiot. My way of dealing with it is simpler, obey the traffic laws and avoid being stopped.
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The chances that the police even responded to your noise complaint are almost zero in most towns, so they don't care one way or the other. If you make a LOT of complaints and they mostly turn out to be bogus the cops might be irritated but under the circumstances I am completely competent that the local cops couldn't care less. (My expertise here comes from being the guy making the complaints and not the guy responding to them.)
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