Corrections Deputy

Role overview

Hamilton County Sheriff's Office is seeking Corrections Deputies for its Chattanooga jail operations. The position works under direct supervision to help maintain a secure, sanitary, and healthy environment for inmates, visitors, and other members of the criminal justice system, while carrying out additional duties as assigned.

Compensation and sign-on bonus

This role includes a $3,000 sign-on bonus for Corrections Deputies. The bonus is paid in installments, with part paid at the beginning and the remainder at the end of the probationary period. No regular salary amount was provided.

Application requirements

Applicants must submit a fully completed employment history covering the period from leaving high school to the present, including both full-time and part-time roles. The application must also include copies of the high school diploma or transcript, driver's license, and Social Security card. If the applicant has military service, a copy of the Member-4 DD214 discharge document is required and must reflect an honorable separation.

Testing and hiring process

Qualified applicants age 21 or older who pass the agility and written tests and are recommended by the interview panel will move forward as Corrections Deputy candidates. Applicants under 21 who pass the same steps and receive a recommendation will progress as Corrections Service Deputy candidates until their 21st birthday.

The department has tentatively scheduled agility testing, written testing, and interviews for Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. at the Hamilton County Sheriff's Law Enforcement Operations Center. The physical agility portion consists of an obstacle course. Candidates should expect the full process to take about 2 to 3 hours, depending on attendance. The sheriff's office will assign the testing date for each applicant.

The pre-employment process includes the agility test, written test, interview, polygraph, background investigation, psychological evaluation, and medical physical. Final start dates depend on how long it takes to complete all of these steps, including the jail tour.

Job duties

Corrections Deputies may be assigned to a variety of areas based on department needs. Core responsibilities include helping maintain a stable, orderly, predictable facility where inmates and visitors are relatively safe, humane conditions are maintained, and opportunities for work or programs are available. Officers are also expected to carry out emergency and contingency plans and take responsibility for safety, security, and sanitation in their assigned area.

Assignments may include Booking, Central Control, Commissary, Court Holding, Floors, Food Services, Maintenance, Medical, Property, Records, Recreation, Security, Sentence Management, Training, Transportation, Visitation, Laundry, and other related duties.

Minimum qualifications

Applicants must be at least 21 years old in Tennessee to carry a weapon, be a United States citizen, and hold a high school diploma or equivalent GED. Candidates must not have any felony conviction or guilty plea, nor any plea of nolo contendere, involving felony charges or offenses related to force, violence, theft, dishonesty, gambling, liquor, or controlled substances.

Applicants must not have been discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces under other than honorable conditions. Fingerprints must already be on file with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Candidates must pass a physical exam, be found to have good moral character through a thorough sheriff's office investigation, and be free from any mental disorder that would prevent them from performing essential duties or create a direct threat to public safety. Certification from a Tennessee-licensed psychiatric or psychological health care provider is required for this standard.

Knowledge and background

Successful candidates should understand ACA standards for adult local detention facilities, relevant federal/state/local laws and procedures, corrections management principles and practices, Hamilton County Jail procedures, and the broader criminal justice system.

Additional information

If you have questions, contact HCSO Human Resources at 423-209-7657 or 423-209-7014.

Application notes mention that applicants should meet minimum qualifications before being considered.