Correction Officer Question?

Question

What are the powers on and off duty for a California Corrections Officer? And are correction officers respected by other law Enforcement?

Answer 1

Unless the officer is a sworn county officer, they have no powers outside of the facility that they work in.
As far as their authority when they're working, that's a little different. It depends on if the person is working for the CDOC (California Dept of Corrections) or if they are employed by the county.
Things vary from state to state. There typically is lines drawn between the what can happen to a Pre-Trial detainee in a jail and a sentenced inmate. (IE: A sentenced inmate could have phone privaledges revoked for a conduct report while a pre-trial detainee could not). The thing with that is that a pre-trial detainee is not yet a sentenced inmate and therefore is still considered innocent in the eyes of the law and it's officers.
There are also separate laws that protect juveniles and depict what can and can not happen to them in a correctional setting.
Things change from time to time with rulings from the local and Supreme Court as well. Ultimately, it is hard to tell.
The main priority of the correctional officer in any setting is to maintain safety and security. A correctional officer has to keep the inmates (sentenced or otherwise) safe from eachother, themselves, other officers, and most importantly, keep the community safe from the inmates (ie: escapes). The best thing to remember in any public service position, the public is your customer - best to keep them happy.
I am not in California, but experienced. The best suggestion I can give you is to check out the CDOC website (http://www.cdc.state.ca.us/) or to check out any county website and do further investigation on that county's jail. If you are considering a career in corrections, see if you can talk to someone that works in the jail or in the local prison.
Corrections, Law Enforcement and the courts are all part of the same system. In a perfect world they work together harmoniously; we all know the world is not perfect. However, without Law Enforcement officers to catch criminals, the courts to prosecute them, and the correctional system to oversee their punishment - with any one peice of this puzzle missing - the system would not work.
Some chose Law Enforcement because it's safer, but at least in an institutional setting - you know where they are and you are not carrying a lethal weapon that can ultimately be taken away from you and used against you.
Not sure if this helps but it's a brief overview.
p.s. Not all agencies make their officers wear the uniforms featured on the CDOC website.

Answer 2

The other answers to this question are correct. Correctional officers do not have any other legal or arresting power than a regular citizen. At least in Texas that is the case. And also the word from a correctional officer is usually taken on a higher level because they are considered public servants.

Yes, most of the time correctional officers are respected by others from law enforcement. I think that it is funny how people like the other guy's father who said that correctional officer's are pu**ies and are the scum of the Earth. The only people that would say that are convicted criminals who had a bad time with the officers, or people that have never spent time in a facility as a correctional officer.

Believe it or not, it takes a lot to carry on a job that the correctional officers do. The job itself is not a job for someone that is just wanting to be somewhere for a paycheck. Anyone that has walked the floor can tell you that.

Answer 3

Corrections officers have no more power off the job than you or I other than they are sworn officers of the court so their testimony is somewhat respected over the average Joe. they can detain the same way as any citizen but just as you or I , it better be justified .

No , no body respects corrections officers........My good friends Dad says that corrections are for pusssssies who cant make it in the real world. I more agree with Howard Stern who said , " if you want to see the slime of the earth , go to any correctional facility during shift change "

Answer 4

what do you mean by powers ? and i would hope they are respected because there job is harder then regular cops