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Alabama Department of Corrections news release

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (May 14, 2019) – The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) is pleased to announce a new position within its security officer ranks, the Basic Correctional Officer (BCO). The new position offers a secure and rewarding career to those interested in public safety and service.

“The ADOC understands that the recruitment and staffing of qualified officers is crucial in advancing the Department’s mission of sustaining a secure correctional environment and effectively preparing inmates for a positive re-entry into society,” said ADOC Commissioner Jeff Dunn. “We know increased staffing is critical to reversing many long-established trends, so the addition of the BCO position is both an exciting and an important step forward.”

Correctional Officers (CO) and BCOs will perform many of the same job requirements and will be equally equipped to do so. BCOs’ primary responsibilities will include supervising inmates and dormitories, conducting searches, working dining halls, managing laundries and functions requiring inmate supervision, assisting with educational and vocational opportunities and providing rehabilitative services. BCOs will not transfer inmates, man patrol towers or drive perimeter trucks.

The new position will accelerate the ADOC employment pipeline by widening the pool of eligible candidates and generating additional efficiency within the hiring and onboarding processes. The ADOC’s on-site recruiting event on May 3 saw approximately a 400% increase in candidates, resulting in more than 100 potential applicants for the BCO position. This was the ADOC’s largest on-site event in several years.

Basic Correctional Officers will be ADOC-certified and will also be as fully trained and qualified to staff standard correctional officer positions as our current CO force, receiving more training than most states’ certified correctional training programs. Each officer will complete six weeks of a specialized training course specifically tailored to the position’s responsibilities. The starting salary for a BCO will be $30,852.

“We appreciate the State Personnel Department’s partnership in thoroughly and expeditiously moving this process along,” said Dunn. “There is an immediate need for additional applicants, and we are prepared to begin hiring qualified leads within the next few weeks.”

Basic Correctional Officer opportunities are available at correctional facilities across the state, including major correctional facilities and community-based facilities. Candidates interested in applying may attend an on-site recruiting event, held at various facilities throughout the year. The next on-site event will take place on June 7, 2019, at Staton Correctional Facility in Elmore, Alabama. The first ADOC Academy for BCO candidates will be held in June 2019.

This new position was a recommendation included in the recently released report prepared by Warren Averett, a third-party expert consultant engaged by the ADOC to conduct a thorough review of the Department’s policies, practices and procedures related to recruiting and retaining correctional officers and to make recommendations for improvement.

To begin the Basic Correctional Officer application process or to be contacted by a recruiter, potential applicants should visit https://adocjobs.us/, contact ADOC by calling 1-855-WE-R-ADOC or visit a local correctional facility. Current ADOC employees interested in becoming a BCO may apply internally.