The Corrections programs offered at GRCC prepare students to serve as adult corrections officers in prisons and jails, patient care providers in psychiatric inpatient facilities, counselors in halfway houses residential advisors in probation and parole centers and probation or parole officers. It also serves to enhance the skills of people currently employed in correctional settings.
Corrections officers are charged with the safekeeping of people who have been arrested, are awaiting trial or who have been tried and convicted of a crime and are sentenced to serve time in a correctional institution. The Correctional Officer Training Act requires that specific college courses and academy training are necessary to certify individuals as correctional officers. GRCC also offers a Sheriff’s Corrections Academy. This academy is a selective admission program that prepares students to become certified local corrections officers. Students are advised to discuss specific requirements with the GRCC Corrections Training Coordinator, David Kok, for additional information.
Probation and parole officers work in community settings and with the courts in counseling to monitor the activities of sentenced and paroled offenders. Most jurisdictions require a bachelor's degree as a condition of employment for parole and probation officer jobs. Students interested in such work should discuss transferability of course work to baccalaureate degree-granting institutions with the GRCC Corrections Training Coordinator.
Employment within the Criminal Justice field may be delayed or denied depending on a history of convictions involving felonies, misdemeanors and/or involving controlled substances.