Summary
This job involves working as a counselor in a Pennsylvania state prison, where you'll help inmates deal with personal issues, build skills for life after release, and manage their case files to support rehabilitation and safer communities.
It's a full-time role with regular office hours, no remote work, and focuses on guiding people through challenges in a structured environment.
Ideal for compassionate individuals with counseling experience who want to make a real difference in public safety and personal growth.
Full Job Description
Are you ready to transform lives and champion public safety by guiding individuals through their most critical moments of personal growth and rehabilitation? Joining the team at the State Correctional Institution (SCI) at Waymart offers an opportunity to apply your clinical insights and interpersonal expertise in a mission-driven environment where every intervention paves the way for a safer community. This role is ideal for dedicated professionals who thrive on complexity and are committed to making a tangible, lasting impact on the lives of others and the strength of our society. Appy today to start your journey!
Requirements
As a Corrections Counselor 2, you will provide casework and counseling to inmates facing behavioral and adjustment challenges. You will conduct interviews to facilitate institutional integration, offer guidance on resolving personal and family conflicts, and provide the encouragement necessary to navigate the correctional environment. By identifying social, educational, and vocational needs, you will help inmates develop the skills required for a successful transition back into the community, including assistance with employment opportunities and local resource navigation. In addition, you will manage detailed clinical records by analyzing aptitude tests, compiling sociodemographic histories, and integrating psychological evaluations into cohesive case files. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, you will coordinate treatment objectives and programming to ensure that institutional resources are effectively used to support rehabilitation. Your role will be essential in assessing risk levels and maintaining accurate documentation regarding sentencing and correctional planning to foster a positive and secure reentry process.
Work Schedule and Additional Information:- Full-time employment, 40 hours per week
- Work hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday - Friday, with a 30-minute lunch.
- This position is eligible for full retirement benefits at age 50 or 55.
- Telework: You will not have the option to telework in this position.
- Salary:
Selected candidates who are new to employment with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will begin employment at the starting annual salary of $63,301.00 (before taxes).
- You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.
Qualifications
QUALIFICATIONSMinimum Experience and Training Requirements:- One year as a Corrections Counselor 1 (Commonwealth job title or equivalent Federal Government job title, as determined by the Office of Administration); or
- One year of professional counseling or casework experience in a correctional facility, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology, counseling, psychology, social work, corrections, criminal justice, or a related field; or
- An equivalent combination of experience and training that includes one year of professional counseling or casework experience in a correctional facility and 18 college credits in sociology, counseling, psychology, social work, corrections, criminal justice, or a related field.
Special Requirement:- You must obtain Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network (CLEAN) and Pennsylvania Justice Network (JNET) certification within two months of employment and maintain certification for the duration of employment in this job.
Other Requirements:- Successful completion of basic training in Elizabethtown, PA is required.
- You must meet the PA residency requirement. For more information on ways to meet PA residency requirements, follow the link and click on Residency Guidelines.
- You must be able to perform essential job functions.
Legal Requirement:
- You must pass a background investigation and meet Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliance requirements.
Commonwealth employees who wish to use their seniority rights must apply to the internal posting for their seniority rights to be considered.
How to Apply:Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position.
Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).
If you are claiming education in your answers to the supplemental application questions, you must attach a copy of your college transcripts for your claim to be accepted toward meeting the minimum requirements. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. Your application must be submitted by the posting closing date. Late applications and other required materials will not be accepted.Failure to comply with the above application requirements may eliminate you from consideration for this position. All application materials and interview responses must reflect the applicant’s own experience, qualifications, and work. Applicants may use generative AI tools for preparation purposes only.
Use of AI to misrepresent or falsify information, or to assist during interviews, is not permitted. Review the Guidance for Generative AI Tools & Job Seekers for additional information.
Veterans:
- Pennsylvania law (51 Pa. C.S. §7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs. To learn more about employment preferences for veterans, go to www.pa.gov/agencies/employment/how-to-apply.html and click on Veterans.
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS):
- 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).
If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.
The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce.
The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania.
The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law.
All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.
Additional Information
- Completing the application, including all supplemental questions, serves as your exam for this position. No additional exam is required at a test center (also referred to as a written exam).
- Your score is based on the detailed information you provide on your application and in response to the supplemental questions.
- Your score is valid for this specific posting only.
- You must provide complete and accurate information or:
- your score may be lower than deserved.
- you may be disqualified.
- You may only apply/test once for this posting.
- Your results will be provided via email.