senior correction officer

correctional officer

TDCJ (Texas Department Criminal Justice)

A typical day at work is very stressful not really from the Inmates but from co-workers! Especially when you are the one that does most of the work at your unit! I have learned that running a unit with only 1 person in charge of Human Resources can be detrimental to a company Especially when all time sheet discrepancies have to be directed at your supervisor (lieutenant) but yet over time is still not correct so you have to wait a minimum of 2 months for a manual time adjustment to come in! Management is use to all the flaws in the system and coming from New York (Blue state) I'm use to accurate clock in/out machines via thumb reader or hand scan so nobody can clock in/out for you but ever since September 1st 2023 the clock in/out machine is down 76% of the time so you are left putting in a pers on paper of your time which doesn't always make it to HR so you are still short on your time! I moved to this state to make a difference in this agency but after 2 failed attempts of becoming a supervisor I quickly realized I was simply wasting my time even with my efforts of saving an Inmates life December 22nd 2022 who had a massive heart attack I was able to perform CPR and keep him alive till EMS arrived to the unit. Workplace culture is diverse but yet their is no real unity I say that because nobody exchanges phone numbers with each other to keep in touch with one another as suicide happens a lot in law enforcement and first responder positions! Thea hardest part of my Job is not the care, custody, and control of the Inmates its making sure the workload is even across the board!!! There is no reason your rover has to do all of the pickets work while he or she sleeps! And please always count living and breathing people! When an Inmate is covered up with a blanket I always would wake him up because you never know?  The most enjoyable part of my Job is giving the Inmates guidance in life and a sense of hope in the 2 years I've worked here I have stopped 5 Inmates from committing suicide! Mental Health is a real thing and I'm glad I was certified in this field from Working at New York Presbyterian Hospital.  Overall TDCJ is not a bad place to work at there is Just a lot that needs to be fixed within the agency until then I will be on resignation. 

A typical day at TDCJ (Woodman State Jail) involves structured routines, security checks, and inmate supervision, with a strong focus on rehabilitation and education. Officers and staff work in a high-responsibility environment that blends discipline with support services for female offenders.
 You walk in with your uniform pressed and your mindset locked in. The facility never sleeps, and neither can your awareness. You manage movement, monitor behavior, and maintain order in a space where tension is always present. Every decision matter
You learn how to lead under pressure. How to stay calm when the room shifts. You learned that respect is earned through consistency, fairness, and how you carry yourself when no one’s watching. You learn how to separate emotion from reaction, and how to hold space for humanity in a system that often forgets it. You learn resilience—not just surviving, but showing up with integrity. 
Management is a mixed issue, depending on which facility you are at. 
The workplace culture at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is highly structured and mission-driven, but often described as stressful, hierarchical, and in need of reform—especially around communication, morale, and inclusivity. Paramilitary structure and mission-focused
The hardest part of working at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is the emotional toll—balancing safety, structure, and humanity in an environment that rarely offers relief.
The most enjoyable part of working at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is the quiet impact—those moments when your presence, your consistency, and your integrity make a difference in someone’s life.


 

One thing that has kept me at this job for so long no matter how much I loved it or hated it and forced myself to tolerate it,  was the time off.  You will never find another job where you earn so much time off as you do here.   And it definitely becomes needed for emergencies or just getting away from all the craziness at random.  Infact, you need time off to want to come back!!!  The downside,  time off can get easily abused by EVERYONE which hurts EVERYONE!!!  I've met some amazing people over the years who made part of a great team and became 2nd family and because of them I got through another day.
 On the flip side, I've met some selfish,  disrespectful people who put the "I" in team and were a huge part of lowering moral, got away with everything and could do no wrong!  You are always going to have job security working for the prison which is a plus!  However, the job can become so demanding that you can expect to miss A LOT of time with your family as you often can't get the approved time off,  or may be forced into a state of overtime due to what's become continuous short staffing with high call ins and high turnover rates!  If you're looking for overtime,  it's a great opportunity to earn extra income.  It's blessings and curses in this game!!!  Your choice is to decide how much of a blessing it is because your guaranteed a roof over your head,  food on the table and all your bills paid as you really won't lack for anything which is often an example seen by the number of people that leave and come back.  However, the curse is how much dictatorship of your life as a human being can you possibly stand to endure in the process!!!  Plus,  the environment can be so negative,  hostile and let's not forget dangerous and getting worse by the day sometimes from both ends of the spectrum.   Takes a special kind of someone to put up with it all.   Have some thick skin and good work ethics and don't just be looking for a job here if you plan to apply, because this isn't just any job.   It's a serious place!!! Good luck!!!

Interesting but stressful as every other American job 75 % while on duty there are a series of ics because of constant resistance from G4 inmates and so on along the line there are a series of daily movement reports to write and 3 counts and counts clear is of primary importance to assure all inmates are in position and this is because many are always attempting to run to the free world without accomplishment of their imprisonment term. We constantly keep an eye and respect their feeding time to avoid rioting and burning of their uniforms to call attention and of course feeding, counts  ,and constant vigilant marks the entire day activity  the disadvantages are that most young officers face alot of difficulties because the inmates requires alot of professional wisdom to get them through day to day activities .And some winds  are very cooperative and easy to go and each an officer is assigned to such wind they are a bit relaxed but will focus on contraband that is a source of compromise and they do destroy them selves and some unscrupulous and ungrateful officers assist in bringing in such nasty items to destroy inmates 

Over all the agency is a great place to work for. I love the reentry and integration division however there are some bad apples within the division. Some of the management does not treat you respectfully. The managers talk to you anyway that they want to because the director doesn't know how they treat you behind closed doors. The other case managers are great to work for and we have become a family. The job is easy and repetitive. However if you finish your case load at your unit you are required to work at someone else's unit and finish their case load. They will travel you all over the state of texas and can't even give you your predium before you go. Reentry and integration division has not had a raise since it became a division. The managers and program supervisors have all been given raises but the case managers have not. If the units were fully staffed with reentry case managers it would not be a bad job. But the units are not fully staffed with re entry case. Managers so you will be working a lot at other units. The pay says $3,088 but after taxes you're lucky to bring him $2k a month. They continue to add more tasks but next.They continue to add extra task for you to do but never give more pay. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
You can elevate within TDCJ from a CO1 up to a Warden. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
You have to deal with the stress and the pressure that over coworkers and inmates had put you through and not all leaders are good. Those leaders you have to be careful around. Usually a lot of good people moved around in the company and not standing by to deal with the stress coming from those folks. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work environment you have to know how to stand alone if you need too because not all coworkers and leaders will have your back. The culture is great because it tries to bring everyone together at a get together meetings. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I literally have to get prep up ahead of time before work like I’m going in to a war zone to fight for what’s right and standing my ground against whoever comes against me.

This honestly I can say was the worst job I’ve had. They will make you stay past your scheduled work time, by telling you last minute that “you are selected to stay” the shifts at the prison I worked at were 4 on 4 off….except what they tell you is one of those off days is a mandatory overtime day. HR is absolute trash. If you “fall off payroll” or quit they don’t update the main  HR office in a timely manner to make sure you get paid, instead you get a letter in the mail right before payday telling you that you check is being held. The inmates aren’t even the issue it’s your co workers. There’s so much animosity between everyone that works there it’s no wonder they cannot keep anyone hired. The one thing I will say about them is that the do have a good paternity and maternity policy so if you are having a child you can take adequate time off to be there, however if you work nights you won’t see your child much because youll go from working 12 or 16 hours to having to go home and then try to sleep to do it all over again.

Training on the job throughout  depends on yourself 90%. The officers are stressed and tired, the wardens and administrators are not interested in the welfare of the officer (no respect or consideration), everything is set up to look good in the photo (they care more about inmates). They need officers of course they do, but if you make a mistake that makes them look bad, they will let you go, no one supports anyone, only officers support each other, of course there are some with a bad attitude, rude. The pay is not enough, you will do what they order. Work-life balance, the worst, many hours, poor pay. Regular health insurance. No breaks sometimes. It is a stingy institution, they do not invest or spend money on the officers, TDCJ does not give what officers really needs to work like a budget for boots or pencils ... they only give you the uniform that is recycled from people who resigned. I respect what the officers are doing, but not the institution. 

No work/life balance tons of mandatory overtime, always under-staffed. Lack of sleep and long hours up to 16 h a day. It’s a mentally and physically demanding job and you have 0 support from the higher up. They throw you under the bus in a heart beat. You are on your own. Co-Workers are busy running their mouth with the inmates instead of getting the job done. The pay is decent but not for the sacrifices you have to make when it comes to your personal life. Overtime is paid and since you always working you can easily make a extra 1000-2000$ a month. Also great benefits, health insurance, retirement and life insurance. If you single and young and you can handle the stress, gossip, and endless hours  this is a great opportunity to get started in law enforcement. 

It's a job that pays. It's dangerous, toxic and draining. There is no work life balance and the pay is extremely low especially since your risking your life, Literally! 

The base pay is garbage where you make your money at is overtime. it's unlimited due to staff shortages. SO why do this job? It's honorable, you feel good doing something that matters especially if your prior service. It's a state job with benefits and it's a stepping stone to PD, BOP, OIG, PAROLE etc. Know your why before coming in this way you don't waste their time and yours

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Senior correction officer 1 salary reported	$3,620 per month
Correctional officer 1 salary reported	$24.06 per hour

Working at TDCJ (Texas Department Criminal Justice): Company Overview and Reviews

TDCJ (Texas Department Criminal Justice)

TDCJ (Texas Department Criminal Justice) Ratings

Popular jobs at TDCJ (Texas Department Criminal Justice)

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected