Correctional Officer, Juvenile

Juvenile Correctional Officer

As a Juvenile Correctional Officer, you are responsible for the health, welfare, and programming of pre-adjudicated youth in a secure detention setting. The Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) is a Minnesota Department of Corrections licensed facility for youth ages 10 to 18+. Residents are not sentenced but are pending disposition of their court cases. If you have a passion for working with this population in this setting and have great adaptability skills, then this position may be for you.

Current Hennepin County employees who refer a candidate hired into an open competitive position may be eligible for a $500 referral bonus. Find us at upcoming career fairs!

Location and hours:
These positions are located at the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center at 510 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415. Candidates must be available to work various full-time/part-time shifts, which include days, evenings, overnights, holidays, and weekend hours. Work hours for part-time positions will be up to 20 hours/week. New Employee Orientation (NEO) for all new benefit-earning employees is in-person in downtown Minneapolis.

Details about NEO will be provided upon hire. A shift differential of $1.10 per hour will be paid for nights when working 5 hours after 3 p.m. and an additional $2.00 per hour for weekends, this includes Saturday and Sunday. Facility meals are provided, and a uniform allowance is given for qualifying positions. These are full-time, part-time (benefit or non-benefit earning) positions.

These positions are internally classified as a Correctional Officer, Juvenile. To remain in compliance with OSHA, candidates hired into Juvenile Correctional Officer positions are required to fit test annually for the use of a respirator. At any time, Juvenile Correctional Officers may be required to be in compliance with facial hair styles that do not interfere with the proper fit of a respirator.

In these positions, you will:

• Directly supervise the daily activities of a diverse population of youth including school attendance, gym/recreation, programs and activities, visitation/phone calls, daily hygiene and cleanliness, and monitoring sleep hours.
• Serve as a mentor for residents by establishing healthy relationships, modeling respectful interactions, and helping youth to engage in prosocial behavior and decision-making.
• Foster a respectful group environment/dynamic among youth.
• Implement case plans related to identified therapeutic goals and behavioral plans.
• Set and maintain limits for youth related to the rules and expectations of the facility.
• Be responsive to the issues affecting this population including, trauma histories, cognitive and developmental delay, chemical dependency, and mental health.
• Ensure the safety and well-being of residents and staff by using motivational interviewing and verbal de-escalation techniques.
• Respond to emergency calls in the building and employ the appropriate use of restrictive procedures, when needed, to manage dysregulated youth.
• Accurately document resident activities and behaviors in log notes and critical incident reports.
• Uphold the safety and security policies of the facility including those related to resident counts, searches, contraband control, and resident well-being checks.
• Deliver Evidence Based Practices by co-facilitating cognitive behavioral groups, problem-solving and skills groups, and monitoring residents during volunteer or contracted programs/services.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of professionals including other JCOs, supervisors, managers, social workers, school staff, medical staff, probation officers and justice partners.
• Receive and release juveniles from facility; transport residents as needed with a Hennepin County vehicle.

Need to have:

• One of the following:
• Two years or more (90 quarter/60 semester credits) of college or vocational/technical coursework in corrections, a related criminal justice or behavioral/social science field, or law enforcement.
• Related education and/or experience to equal two years or more.
• The Evidence Based Practice Corrections Professional Certificate from an approved school may be substituted…