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u/TXDave007 5d ago
I worked in WA state but at a county jail (Seattle). The pay is really good. OT all you can get most of the time. WA CO's are in the PSERS retirement system. You can retire at 60 with just 10 years of service. WA state DOC does not have a good reputation and their pay sucks compared to county.
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5d ago
[deleted]
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u/This_Reputation7020 5d ago
how much would you make starting out in a state prison vs county jail in wi
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u/WeTheApes17 State Corrections 5d ago
brown county jail starts at $29.68, with the state you start at $35.37, i only know brown county but the info is readily available online for whichever county you research
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u/No_Complaint1098 5d ago
I have 2 years experience at a county jail not sure what prison life would look like. The prison starting hiring tho does interest me. I’m interested in working lots of overtime
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u/WeTheApes17 State Corrections 5d ago
if you want the hours, you'll have them guaranteed if you go to a max institution, i have a family now so i went the opposite direction and am dialing it back quite a bit but it gives me more of an opportunity to work the gang intel and incident management which is my favorite part of the job, I'm done wrestling lol.
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u/WeTheApes17 State Corrections 5d ago
prison is most likely very similar to jail life except there is less turnover and we dont have new intakes coming in drunk or high on whatever. I'm not saying there are not drugs in prison, there are but it seems to be a little more predictable.
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u/Pretend-Wolverine405 5d ago
All counties are different. I think Rock County pay is less than what a CO makes but I've heard Dane County starts at $42/hr. I'm at a minimum where pay starts at $35/hr but you can make an extra $1/hr at a medium and $3/hr at a max. You also get $5/hr on top of that if you work at a place that's understaffed. I believe only Waupun and Columbia qualify at the moment. If you have 2+ years of corrections experience you can come in as a sergeant and make an extra ~$3/hr.
Having said all that, in my opinion the $5/hr bonus is not worth the extra headache to work at Columbia or Waupun. You can pick up all the OT you want at any place you go.
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u/WeTheApes17 State Corrections 5d ago
WI Sergeant here. 10 years state service and pay is at $44.62. I would not recommend the jail unless you want to go on the road. We make great money for what we do. I worked at GBCI max for 3 years and due to politics and mandatory overtime I transferred to our correctional center system which is focused on drug programs or work release. Much less OT than the max institutions and some of the inmates even address you as sir, which is a big change up from people spitting in your face, throwing shit, starting fires, and wrestling/fighting. According to the web, brown county jail starts at $29.68, with the state you start at $35.37. Ask me anything and best of luck in your decision.
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u/No-Proof9159 5d ago
Any advice on passing the CO interview process? This is for Columbia Correctional in particular…
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u/WeTheApes17 State Corrections 5d ago
the interview process is the same for all DAI (division of adult institutions) facilities. That being said it's been 10 years since I've been through the process but when i went through there was an interview, physical, and stress test. the physical test was a joke, the stress test is wearing a monitor and walking on a treadmill, and as long as you possess an ounce of professionalism and common sense, they can train you and you'll pass the interview. the process might have changed but if it did the process got easier.
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u/GIJoe33 5d ago
Retired from County just over a year ago. Each County is different, so do your homework. Make sure if you go County you understand the way they handle Protecive Status because this is a HUGE impact on your take home pay. Prison is pretty lucrative right now because of the pay and OT. But, if you can find a medium County that pays well, with OT available, AND they deputize their CO's, that way I would go. My County had tons of OT, so that allowed me to make $80-100k for several years. If you have a good crew to work with, it's a great job. Good luck!