Corrections Counselor - SCI Somerset

Are you ready to support positive change and help individuals move toward productive futures? As a Corrections Counselor 1 at the State Correctional Institution (SCI) at Somerset, you will guide individuals through challenges and support their progress. Each day offers a chance to encourage growth and strengthen re-entry readiness. Be a part of a team where your efforts contribute to safer communities.

This position provides counseling and casework services that support inmate adjustment, personal growth, and re-entry preparation. The work includes reviewing assessments, coordinating plans, and communicating with staff and families to promote effective reintegration. As a Corrections Counselor 1, you will perform the following duties:

• Inmate Counseling:Interview inmates, assist with adjustment challenges, and provide guidance for personal, social, and vocational development
• Casework Documentation:Develop records, maintain reports, and communicate with families, staff, and agencies about inmate progress
• Assessment Analysis:Review tests, compile histories, and document evaluations to recommend appropriate programming
• Treatment Coordination:Align treatment objectives with programming, activities, and expectations to support behavioral change
• Parole Preparation:Support re-entry planning, secure documentation, and prepare parole reports and recommendations

• Full-time employment, 40 hours per week
• Work hours are 7:30 AM to 4:00 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 $56,541.00 (before taxes).
• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.

• Three years and six months as a corrections officer, and 18 college credits in any combination of sociology, counseling, psychology, social work, corrections, criminal justice, or a related field; or
• A bachelor’s degree including 18 college credits in any combination of sociology, counseling, psychology, social work, corrections, criminal justice, or a related field; or
• An equivalent combination of experience and training that includes 18 college credits in any combination of sociology, counseling, psychology, social work, corrections, criminal justice, or a related field.
• Applicants will be considered to have met the educational requirements once they are within 3 months of graduating with a qualifying degree/credits.

• 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.

• 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.

• You must pass a background investigation and meet Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliance requirements.

• 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 (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). and click on Veterans.