Sergeant - UEDC

If your goal is to build a career that makes a difference and you have a passion for making a difference in the lives of South Carolina's youth, consider joining the dedicated people of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).

South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) aims 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 assists in instructing and directing Juvenile Correctional Officers in providing youth with a safe and secure environment that fosters healthy decision‑making and is conducive to 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. The Sergeant plays an essential role, directly impacting the youth and the agency’s ability to provide safe and secure rehabilitative opportunities for youth.

• 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 movement.
• Ensure each youth has their basic needs met.
• Remain knowledgeable and informed of the security status of all youth assigned.
• Serve on all facility posts including specialized units and in various locations.
• Provide training, direction and guidance to staff to assist them in carrying out their 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 employees are performing duties in compliance with 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, help 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 complies with agency policy and procedure, along with Federal and State law.
• Complete required reports concerning youth and/or employee related incidents and matters pertaining to safety, security and operation of the facility.
• Perform other security‑related duties when required.
• Serve as a member of the on‑call management team and respond to the needs of the facility.
• Perform other duties and tasks as assigned by a supervisor to further support the agency’s 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 supervisor and teaching skills.

• Knowledge of state laws, institutional rules, regulations, and requirements for the control of youth and 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 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 in a mature and professional way.
• Ability to establish and maintain satisfactory working relationships with…