Friday, March 31, 2023

Correctional Specialist I/II | Montgomery County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation


Correctional Specialist I/II
Location: Rockville, MD
Job: IRC57670
Salary: $52,539 - $98,349
Closing Date: April 12, 2023


About the Position:

Pre-Trial Case Workers are responsible for conducting daily interview of newly incarcerated offenders in order to make release recommendations to the Court to detain offenders in jail, release offenders to the community or to release offenders to the community with Pre-Trial Supervision while they await the processing of their criminal case.

The primary work site will be the Montgomery County Detention Center located in Rockville, MD.  Work hours are currently Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Staff may be required to work late on heavy court days. Staff may be needed to work rotating shifts from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. if there is an operational need. The individual selected for this position will be considered an "Essential Employee". Essential employees must report to work during a period of general emergency or liberal leave, to include holidays and inclement weather.

What You’ll Be Doing:

Responsibilities include interviewing offenders after they have been committed into the jail, performing criminal background investigations, extracting and verifying information through NCIC/Meters criminal histories and other criminal justice databases and speaking with community contacts, assessing community and public safety risks as well as the likelihood of offenders appearing for court dates. 

In addition, the caseworker will present recommendations in court at bond review hearings. For cases in which a defendant is placed in the Pre-Trial Supervision program, the caseworker will complete and sign a contract with the defendant. If the court requires the use of GPS/EM equipment the caseworker may be required to attach the equipment to the defendant. 

Caseworkers works in a fast-paced environment and must meet strict time constraints as bond review hearings occur daily as set by the Court.  Caseworker summaries and recommendations to the Court are heavily relied upon by all parties as the judges makes bond release decisions and court ordered conditions for offenders to follow who are released to the community.

Important Information:

Prior to appointment, all applicants must successfully complete a comprehensive background investigation, psychological evaluation, medical examination, and drug/alcohol screen.

Prior to a promotional appointment within DOCR, the selected individual must answer the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) questions and submit to a criminal history to comply with the Prevention Planning on Hiring and Promotion Decisions (115.17, 115.117, 115.217, 115.317). This is a requirement to meet Federal law and audit standards.

Applicants are encouraged to carefully read substance abuse disqualification for this position prior to applying. Please copy and paste the following link into a new window to view and read this information:

http://www.dsd.state.md.us/comar/comarhtml/12/12.10.01.22.htm

Competitive Benefits: A competitive benefits package is provided (copy and paste this link into new window, and click on Total Rewards tab to view): https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HR/Recruitment/MCGCareers.html/

Generally, the position is covered by the Employee's Retirement System, Group JK. If the successful candidate(s) is an internal employee, retirement plan coverage will be determined at the time the job offer is made.

Selected candidate must successfully complete the Maryland Correctional Training Academy Entry-Level Program and possess a Certificate of successful completion within 12 months of hire. Must maintain and successfully complete addition State-mandated and Departmental Correctional training as required.

This position may be filled at either the Correctional Specialist I (CSI) or Correctional Specialist II (CSII) level.

Salary range if filled at the CSI level, Grade 19:   $52,539 - $81,770 (with anticipated hiring salary range of: $52,539 - $72,530)

Salary range if filled at the CSII level, Grade 22:  $60,093 - $98,349 (with anticipated hiring salary range of: $60,093 - $83,182)


Minimum Qualifications

If Filled as a Correctional Specialist II:

Experience:  Two (2) years of full-time satisfactory experience in community-based corrections or in other human services work emphasizing treatment/counseling.

Education:  Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or University.

Equivalency:  Excess education may be substituted for required experience, but excess experience may not be substituted for the bachelor's degree as the educational requirement is stipulated by the Maryland State Training Commission.

If filled as a Correctional Specialist I:

Experience:  One (1) year of full-time satisfactory experience in community-based corrections or in other human services work emphasizing treatment/counseling.

Education: Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

Equivalency: Excess education may be substituted for required experience, but excess experience may not be substituted for the bachelor’s degree, as the educational requirement is stipulated by the Maryland State Training Commission.

Citizenship and Age (either level): Individuals appointed to this position must be at least 21 years of age on the date of appointment, and be either a citizen of the United States or resident alien.


Preferred Criteria

The applications of those individuals meeting the minimum qualifications will be reviewed to determine the extent, relevancy of training, and experience in the following areas:

  • Experience using computer systems related to law enforcement and/or Corrections.
  • Experience assessing offenders, preferably to determine eligibility and criteria for pre-trial release.
  • Experience addressing the needs of a correctional population.
  • Experience providing case management and counseling to a criminal justice involved population.
  • Experience with collaboration and partnering within the legal system.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.