2024 Job Aid – What Does It Mean to Be a Corrections Social Worker?
2024 Career Guide for Prison Social Workers and What They Do
According to the Dept. of Health and Human Services, over 600,000 people are released from state and federal prisons each year. Over two-thirds of them get rearrested within three years of their release. This is often due to the inability to reintegrate successfully into a non-prison environment.
Entering the field of justice and corrections social work may not be for everyone, but it’s a field where social workers can make a big difference in people’s lives. The support and guidance that social workers in jails provide can change a person’s life for the better and keep them from ending up back in prison later.
Role of social worker in correctional services
One of the social work career paths that may not seem like an obvious choice but is very important within the justice system is corrections social work. Correctional social workers play a critical role in helping those in the prison system with mental health disorders and enabling reintegration into society when prisoners are released.
Social workers in prison need to learn how to balance individual well-being with society safety while providing social services. The role of a social worker in correctional settings can include reducing recidivism and working with prisoners to address substance abuse and psycho-social issues.
Providing post-incarceration education and resource referrals are also services that illustrate the importance of correctional social work. While their clients may be in prison or jail, the goal is the same for a jail social worker, to help the individual through mental health and social issues to improve their well-being and help them live a better life.
If you have been wondering about the key role of a social worker in correctional services for adults or how about social workers in juvenile detention centers, you’re at the right place. This Social Work Portal article will guide you through everything you should know before you hit the ground running.
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Table of Contents: Role of Social Worker in Prison
Keep on scrolling down this page to read each section or click any link below to go directly to that section.
- What Is a Prison Social Worker?
- What Do Prison Social Workers Do?
- Types of Prison Social Worker Jobs
- What Is the Average Salary for Doing Prison Social Work?
- Correctional Social Worker Jobs Degree Requirements
- What Challenges Do Social Workers in Prison Face?
- Conclusion | Guide to Becoming a Prison Social Worker
- FAQ | Role of Social Worker in Correctional Settings
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Would you like to share feedback on the importance of correctional social work? Do you have tenured experience and use cases that can better explain the role of social worker in prisons that we can include in this guide for other social workers, therapists and counselors to leverage? If so, contact the Social Work Portal Team.
What Is a Prison Social Worker? Social Workers in Correctional Facilities
A prison social worker, also known as a correctional social worker or jail social worker, works with inmates in the prison system to improve their mental and social well-being.
Social work in correctional settings can involve implementing programs designed to address substance abuse, anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. It can also include working with individuals after they are released from prison to help them successfully transition to post-prison life.
Jail social workers typically work with a correctional professionals team (e.g., probation officer, etc.) and lend their unique expertise in addressing psycho-social issues. The goal is to improve the outcome for the inmate and help them to successfully reintegrate into society.
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Do you have questions about social worker correctional facility jobs or something else to explain the role of social worker in prisons? If so, contact the Social Work Portal Team.
What Do Prison Social Workers Do?
Social work in correctional settings includes many of the same types of duties as other types of social work. For example, a corrections social worker will conduct assessments and identify needed intervention services, just like child and family social workers, independent social workers, and social work in other areas.
The main difference between prison social workers and other types of social workers is that the client the social worker is working with is an incarcerated prisoner in some type of correctional facility (county jail, state prison, juvenile detention center, etc.).
Social work in correctional services includes these types of job duties:
- Conduct assessments
- Identify needed interventions
- Create and carry out treatment plans
- Conduct one-on-one or group counseling
- Operate programs designed to improve inmate psycho-social outcomes and support rehabilitation
- Provide assessments for at-risk prisoners
- Offer appropriate services referrals
- Monitor prisoner progress, and in some cases, ensure the inmate is complying with court-ordered therapy
- Prepare comprehensive reports on inmate progress, as well as any recommendations for parole
- Provide crisis intervention
- Support release planning to reduce the risk of recidivism
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Do you have questions about social workers in juvenile detention centers or about social workers in prisons salaries? Do you have feedback about this guide on social workers in correctional facilities? If so, contact the Social Work Portal Team.
Types of Prison Social Worker Jobs
There are a few different types of settings when working in justice and corrections social work. Social workers can work at various government levels in the Department of Corrections or be employed by a non-profit agency that focuses on providing services to inmates and those newly released from prison.
An individual that wants to become a prison social worker could be a social worker juvenile detention center professional, work at the city or county jail level, or work with longer-term facilities, like state prisons.
In addition to working at different levels in the criminal justice system, prison social workers can also have varying levels of responsibility based on their education and experience.
For example, a licensed clinical correctional social worker may be providing mental health services to mentally ill inmates and diagnosing and treating them directly. A corrections social worker that cannot provide clinical services may be conducting life-skills classes for soon-to-be-released prisoners.
Another specialty area for social workers in prison is substance abuse and rehabilitation. Many prisoners face challenges with substance use disorder, and jail social workers that have expertise in this area can provide counseling and rehabilitative services.
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If you have any feedback on how we can improve this guide on prison social work and how to become a correctional social worker, please let us know. Contact the Social Work Portal Team.
What Is the Average Salary for Doing Prison Social Work?
Average salary for a prison social worker is $72,728,
One thing you’ll want to know if you’re considering becoming a corrections or jail social worker is how much social workers in prisons salaries are on average.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) puts correctional social workers in the category of “Social Workers, All Other.” For this category, the average social worker correctional facility annual salary is $63,010, with the annual wage range being between $36,780 and $93,540.
According to ZipRecruiter, the U.S. national average salary for a prison social worker is $72,728, and the range is from $20,500 to $174,500.
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Correctional Social Worker Jobs Degree Requirements
You can get started in some jobs as a prison social worker with a bachelor’s degree in social work, and related experience in the area of criminal justice, substance use, or a corrections-related field.
However, many corrections social work jobs require you to hold a master’s degree in social work, with experience related to the work you will be doing. You’ll also find when looking for prison social worker jobs that several ask for certification as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).
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What Challenges Do Social Workers in Prison Face?
Correctional social workers face certain challenges, such as the need to balance personal and societal safety with the goal to rehabilitate and help inmates with their mental health and social well-being.
Social workers in jails should be prepared to face the following types of challenges:
- Shouldering the traumas of their clients
- Helping to manage complex mental health issues
- Navigating violent tendencies and other behavioral issues
- Working within the constraints of the criminal justice system
- Overcoming a natural distrust of “the system”
- The need to set boundaries between personal and professional relationships
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Do you have any questions about prison social work or how to become a correctional social worker? Contact the Social Work Portal Team.
Conclusion | Guide to Becoming a Prison Social Worker
While there are certainly challenges to a job as a correctional social worker, many in this field find it deeply rewarding. They are often one of the few correctional professionals that inmates feel treat them as a person, not a prisoner. Jail social workers can also find it rewarding when an individual they helped leaves prison to lead a better life.
If you’re interested in becoming a prison social worker and you already have a social work degree, the next step would be to get a better understanding of the position. You can do this by searching for correctional social worker jobs on popular job search engines and looking through the expectations and requirements.
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FAQ | Role of Social Worker in Correctional Settings
What is a correctional social worker?
A prison social worker, also known as a correctional social worker or jail social worker, works with inmates in the prison system to improve their mental and social well-being.
What is the job description of a prison social worker?
Social work in correctional services includes these types of job duties:
•Conduct assessments
•Identify needed interventions
•Create and carry out treatment plans
•Conduct one-on-one or group counseling
•Operate programs designed to improve inmate psycho-social outcomes and support rehabilitation
•Provide assessments for at-risk prisoners
•Offer appropriate services referrals
•Monitor prisoner progress, and in some cases, ensure the inmate is complying with court-ordered therapy
•Prepare comprehensive reports on inmate progress, as well as any recommendations for parole
•Provide crisis intervention
•Support release planning to reduce the risk of recidivism
What challenges do correctional social workers face?
Social workers in jails should be prepared to face the following types of challenges:
•Shouldering the traumas of their clients
•Helping to manage complex mental health issues
•Navigating violent tendencies and other behavioral issues
•Working with the constraints of the criminal justice system
•Overcoming a natural distrust of “the system”
•The need to set boundaries between personal and professional relationships
Where is the working area of social workers in correctional facilities?
There are a few different types of settings when working in justice and corrections social work. Social workers can work at various government levels in the Department of Corrections or be employed by a non-profit agency that focuses on providing services to inmates and those newly released from prison.
An individual that wants to become a prison social worker could be a social worker juvenile detention center professional, work at the city or county jail level, or work with longer-term facilities, like state prisons.
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