Sergeant - MEDC

Mission

It is the mission of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) to impact and transform young lives, strengthen families, and support safer communities through targeted prevention and rehabilitation.

Under general supervision of the Captain, the Sergeant will assist in instructing and directing Juvenile Correctional Officers to provide youth with a safe and secure environment that fosters healthy decision-making and supports rehabilitation of at‑risk youth. The position is assigned to specific posts to ensure orderly facility operations and the safety and well‑being of all youth and staff.

• Engage with youth throughout the day to ensure safety, security, rehabilitation, and well‑being.
• Ensure frequent and helpful communication with youth throughout the day.
• Serve as a mentor for new security staff.
• Provide support to new staff in maintaining youth headcount and completing required reporting and daily logs.
• Physically respond appropriately to emergency situations.
• Conduct routine and unannounced security inspections per agency policy.
• Conduct routine and unannounced frisk searches of youth after all youth movements.
• Ensure that each youth has basic needs met.
• Remain knowledgeable and informed of the security status of all youth assigned.
• Serve on all facility posts, including specialized units and various locations.
• Provide training, direction, and guidance to staff to assist them in carrying out responsibilities.
• Provide supervision and control, as well as leadership to youth and staff in specialized programs, services, and activities.
• Assist with supervision of shift operation regarding employees and youth as needed.
• Assist in maintaining the shift schedule and coordinate staff coverage when necessary.
• Make routine and frequent inspections of all units to ensure compliance with duties and practices.
• Ensure units have adequate clothing, linen, cleaning supplies, and hygiene items.
• Ensure proper grooming of youth in unit.
• Assist directly with crisis intervention disputes among youth and control disruptive behavior.
• Refer acute problems to appropriate staff.
• Mediates disputes between youth and JCOs.
• Provide input on performance evaluations of officers as requested.
• Ensure all subordinate staff comply with agency policy, procedure, and applicable law.
• Complete required reports concerning youth, employee incidents, and other matters pertaining to safety, security, and operation of the facility.
• Serve as a member of the on‑call management team and respond to facility needs.
• Perform other duties and tasks as assigned by a supervisor to support agency mission and values.

A high school diploma.

Must be an officer in compliance with and certified under CLEE (Continuing Law Enforcement Education) within six (6) months of employment. Must have an 80% rate on competency/proficiency exam and possess supervisory and teaching skills.

• Knowledge of state laws, institutional rules, regulations, and requirements for the control of youth/Child Abuse Statutes.
• Knowledge of purpose, methods, and practices of secure facilities.
• Knowledge of various methods of instructing, handling, and supervising youth in various activities.
• Interpersonal skills, patience, and strong verbal and non‑verbal communication skills.
• Ability to exercise good judgment and initiative in a variety of situations.
• Ability to build healthy relationships with youth and effectively communicate to promote respect and trust and manage challenging behaviors professionally.
• Ability to establish and maintain satisfactory working relationships with employees, families, and the general public.
• Ability to maintain a valid state driver’s license and operate a state vehicle.
• Ability to follow a daily schedule, be accountable to facility processes, document events and activities, and supervise multiple youths effectively.

A bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or a related field accompanied by experience supervising, mentoring, and interacting with at‑risk youth. Must be 21 years of age with a valid driver’s…