Corrections Counselor - SCI Mercer

Start your career with the Department of Corrections (DOC) as a Corrections Counselor 1 and guide inmates as they build better futures. At the State Correctional Institution (SCI) at Mercer, you will help with basic counseling, casework, and re-entry support. You will develop communication skills and learn how to work with staff, families, and outside agencies. This role provides a strong foundation for growth and long-term success.

This position helps inmates adjust to the institution and prepares them for successful re-entry by supporting counseling and casework activities. As a Corrections Counselor 1, you will perform the following duties:

• Basic Counseling: Meet with inmates, listen to concerns, and offer support for personal, family, and community issues
• Recordkeeping: Assist with preparing records, updating reports, and sharing information with staff and agencies
• Information Gathering: Review basic assessments and histories to help identify inmate needs and recommended programming
• Program Support: Help coordinate activities, educational programs, counseling sessions, and other services
• Re-entry Assistance: Provide guidance for obtaining identification, understanding community resources, and preparing for parole
• General Duties: Complete additional tasks that support inmate adjustment and reintegration goals

• Full-time employment, 40 hours per week
• Work hours are 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday, with a 30-minute lunch.
• Telework:You will not have the option to telework in this position.
• Salary:In some cases, the starting salary may be non-negotiable.
• 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.

• 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.

• 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).

If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the…