New York State Department of Civil Service Announces Examinations Open to All Qualified Individuals

Correction Officer Trainee

Hiring Rate	6-Month Rate	Salary
$34,329	$36,111	41,348

* Salary increase expected upon completion of current contract negotiations.

Due to the size of the candidate population for this examination, you may be assigned to either a Saturday or Sunday testing and either a morning or an afternoon session. Your admission notice will tell you where and when you are scheduled to appear. (See Additional Information - Admission to Examination on page 2 regarding receipt of Admission Notice.)

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $3,029 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $1,126 annual mid-Hudson adjustment.

Back To Top

Minimum Qualifications

At the time of appointment, you must meet the following requirements:

1. You must be at least 21 years of age.
2. You must be a high school graduate or have a high school equivalency diploma (issued by an appropriate State education authority). The diploma issued to the high school graduate must be from an accredited public or private school recognized by the New York State Education Department. Diplomas issued through a home study course and not by an appropriate educational authority are not acceptable.
3. By New York State law, a Correction Officer is a peace officer and must be qualified to hold such office and must be a U.S. citizen.
4. Correction Officers are Public Officers. Therefore, although New York State residency is not required to take the written test, New York State residency is required to accept and continue employment.

The Positions

Correction Officer positions are located throughout New York State in various facilities of the New York State Department of Correctional Services.

Notes

1. All appointees will be employed as Trainees.
2. If you pass the examination for No. 25-169 Correction Officer Trainee (Spanish Language), you will be required to demonstrate your Spanish language proficiency at a level that will ensure your ability to properly perform the duties of the position. Only enough candidates to fill the current vacancies will be called to the proficiency test.
3. If you are qualified for No. 25-169 Correction Officer Trainee (Spanish Language), you should file for both examinations, as there is only one application processing fee.

Back To Top

Duties

As a Correction Officer, under the direct supervision of a higher-ranking officer, you would be responsible for the custody and security, as well as the safety and well-being, of criminal offenders in New York State Correctional Facilities and Correctional Camps. You would supervise the movement and activities of inmates, make periodic rounds of assigned areas, conduct searches for contraband, maintain order within the facility, and prepare reports as necessary. You would advise inmates of the rules and regulations governing the operation of the facility and assist them in resolving problems. You would have a high degree of responsibility for your actions and decisions. You will play a large role in the rehabilitative process related to the incarcerated population. You may also be required to carry firearms in the performance of certain duties and to perform other related work as required.

Physical/Medical Requirements: Your physical and medical condition will be evaluated to ensure that you are able to satisfactorily perform the duties of this position with or without reasonable accommodation. The physical/medical standards include a fitness test, a medical standards evaluation, and a substance abuse screening.

To obtain a complete statement of the physical and medical standards, write to the Medical Review Unit, New York State Department of Civil Service, 55 Mohawk St., Suite 201, Cohoes, NY 12047. A medical examination will be required prior to appointment, and you are responsible for payment of the clinical laboratory test fee. Appointees to this position may be required to undergo periodic medical examinations to reassess their ability to perform the essential duties of the position.

Drug Testing: Prior to appointment, you will be required to participate in a drug screening test and are responsible for the clinical laboratory fee. Failure to meet the standards may result in your disqualification.

Psychological Evaluation: Prior to appointment, you will be required to participate in a psychological evaluation to determine your fitness to perform the essential duties of the position. Failure to meet the standards set forth in this evaluation will result in disqualification.

Background Investigation: You will undergo a thorough background investigation to determine your suitability for appointment as a Correction Officer. Conviction of a felony will bar appointment. Conviction of misdemeanors or violations of law may bar appointment. A person adjudicated as a youthful offender may be disqualified from appointment. Failure to meet the standards for the background investigation will result in disqualification. Fingerprinting is required and you will be responsible for paying the fee.

Character and Fitness: Each potential appointee will be the subject of a thorough investigation to help determine character and fitness, and also to verify information provided by the applicant. Applicants must authorize access to educational, financial, military, employment, criminal history, and mental health records. Information contained in such records will be reviewed and evaluated and, if found to be inconsistent with the qualifications for appointment, will result in disqualification. Candidates who receive a satisfactory evaluation on the background investigation and meet all other administrative requirements, will be considered for appointment.

Traineeship: You will be required to participate in, and satisfactorily complete, all requirements of a 12-month program before you can advance to Correction Officer. As part of the program, you will attend the Correctional Services Training Academy for a period of eight weeks of formal training. Paid training at the Academy will include academic courses in such areas as emergency response procedures, interpersonal communications, legal rights and responsibilities, security procedures, and concepts and issues in corrections. You will also receive rigorous physical training to develop fitness, strength, and stamina. Failure to maintain the required academic standing, to qualify with weapons, or to qualify in meeting the physical standards, will result in your employment being terminated. Additionally, failure to obtain certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while at the Academy will result in your employment being terminated. You will receive on-the-job training for three weeks and then be assigned to a correctional facility for full duty, as dictated by the staffing needs of the department.

Probation: All appointees will be required to serve and satisfactorily complete a probationary period of up to 52 weeks which begins at the time of permanent appointment. During probation, performance will be periodically reviewed and carefully evaluated. A probationer who fails to meet the performance standards may be terminated at any time.

Advancement: Upon successful completion of the probationary period, Trainees will be appointed to Correction Officer (G-14).

Back To Top

Subject of Examination

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

1. Observing and recalling facts and information - These questions are designed to test how well the candidates can observe and recall information presented. The candidates will be presented with information describing or depicting prison scenes or other facts. They will have a short time to memorize the information before it is collected by the monitor. They will then be asked to recall specific details.
2. Applying written information in a correctional services setting - These questions are designed to evaluate the candidates' ability to read, interpret and apply rules, regulations, directives, written narratives and other related material. The candidates are required to read a set of information, and to appropriately apply the information to situations similar to those typically experienced in a correctional services setting. All the information needed to answer the questions asked concerning the situations presented is contained in the rules, regulations, etc., which are cited.
3. Preparing written material - These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
4. Understanding and interpreting written material - These questions test how well you comprehend written material. You will be provided with brief reading selections and will be asked questions about the selections. All the information required to answer the questions will be presented in the selections; you will not be required to have any special knowledge relating to the subject areas of the selections.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Rank on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits to your final passing score.

Test Guide: A Guide to the Written Test for the Entry-Level Correction Officer Trainee Series is available.

Back To Top

How To Apply

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity in employment, compensation and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Religious Accommodation

Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

In addition, it is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to enjoy equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their applications. Further information is available from the Special Arrangements Unit of the Department of Civil Service at 518-457-2487 [press 2, then press 2] in the Albany area, toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 2], or via TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) at 518-457-8480.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, call 518-474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 1].

Multiple Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

With the exception of written tests announced by New York City, if you have applied to take a written test announced by a local jurisdiction (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must call 518-474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 1], no later than two weeks before the test date, to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center.

S2/TC2 IXK-vla
Issued: 1/2/09

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

Back To Top