State of Maryland

A Correctional Residence Counselor I is the entry level of work involving the security, supervision and counseling of adult inmates in a correctional residence program. Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from a Correctional Residence Counselor Supervisor.  Employees are assigned to day, evening, night or rotating shifts.  Employees are subject to call-in during emergencies and staffing shortages.  Work is performed primarily in a correctional facility, and employees are continually exposed to inmates who may be abusive and hostile.

Positions in this classification are evaluated using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work Sections of the class specification.

The Correctional Residence Counselor I and Correctional Residence Counselor II are differentiated on the basis of the degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees. The Correctional Residence Counselor I learns to perform duties under close supervision.  The Correctional Residence Counselor II performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

Attends an entrance level training program certified by the Maryland Correctional Training Commission;

Learns specific duties on various posts (traffic, orientation, etc.) within the facility through on-the job training;

Learns to enforce rules of conduct among inmates and to prepare reports of infractions;

Maintains control of inmates while escorting individuals or groups within and outside of the facility;

Keeps accurate head counts of inmates at various designated times during an assigned shift;

Learns to provide short-term and crisis counseling to inmates housed in a residence program;

Learns to provide referrals to inmates and their families in order to facilitate the inmate's transition into the community upon release;

Documents all services provided to inmates in the case file;

Operates manual and electronic locking devices;

May search inmates and visitors for contraband;

May place inmates in handcuffs, restraining belts and leg irons;

Performs other related duties.

Ability to learn and follow detailed procedures contained in correctional regulations, institutional directives and agency procedures;

Ability to keep order and maintain directed schedule of activities;

Ability to remain calm in stressful situations and respond in an appropriate manner according to prescribed rules and procedures;

Ability to observe, analyze and remember incidents and inmate behaviors;

Ability to prepare concise, accurate reports of events, incidents and behaviors;

Ability to communicate effectively with inmates, their families and other visitors, correctional staff and volunteers.

Experience: Two years of experience providing crisis counseling services to adults.

Note: Candidates may substitute the possession of an Associate of Arts degree or a minimum of sixty credit hours with at least fifteen credit hours in counseling courses from an accredited college or university for the required experience.

1. Employees who have not already done so must meet the selection standards required and successfully complete the training prescribed by the Maryland Correctional Training Commission for a Correctional Officer during their probationary period, (Correctional Services Article, Section 8-209, Annotated Code of Maryland). Selection standards for correctional training are listed in detail in the Code of Maryland Regulations Title 12, Subtitle 10, Chapter 01 and include the following:

U.S. Citizenship or Resident Alien status
Must be at least 21 years of age
A completed background investigation
Oral interview
Physical examination.

2. Employees in this classification are subject to substance abuse testing in accordance with the Code of Maryland Regulations 17.04.09, Testing for Illegal Use of Drugs.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit H, Public Safety and Security classes.  As provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.   An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime, as provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance level in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class, as defined by the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.