Becoming a Correctional Officer in Oregon

The state of Oregon currently incarcerates just over 15,362 sentenced inmates in 14 prisons, 1 federal penitentiary, and an extensive county jail system. All facilities have a need for professional and assertive staff to fulfill a variety of front line correctional roles within each facility and all are maintained and funded through Oregon's State Department of Corrections. Some, like Oregon State Penitentiary are maximum security facilities, while most are medium to minimum containment. Though incarceration rates are slowly levelling off, a new approach to avoiding re-offense means that there will still be steady growth in correctional officer roles over the next ten years throughout the state and nationally; over this time period, the Oregon will be looking to hire an additional 262 personnel to their existing workforce as well as replacing employees who have retired, advanced, or left the field. Interested so far? Read further on our page for more information regarding employment opportunities for correctional officers in Oregon or apply through the Department of Corrections portal.

17
Schools Analyzed
5
Schools Ranked

Top Schools Supporting Careers in Criminal Justice & Corrections

The following rankings are based on student data, published surveys, and other school and career data collected from several sources which include the following government agencies:

Data Sources

  • National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

By obtaining our base data set from the above data sources, schools were ranked using the criteria below:

  • Schools with less than 10 total graduates per year were omitted in order to maintain statistical integrity
  • Schools must have at least 1 graduate in the field of criminal justice
  • Only 4-year, 2-year, and technical public and private non-profit schools were included

Schools were sorted in order of the highest percentage of total students graduating with a degree in the field of criminal justice (CIPCODES: 43.0102, 43.0110, 43.0113, 43.0103, 43.0104, 43.0107, 43.0109, 43.0111, 43.0112, 43.0199).

1

Tillamook Bay Community College

4301 Third St., Tillamook, OR 97141

Tillamook Bay Community College ranks first in our latest rankings with five students graduating from programs in criminal justice out of a total 124 students.

Ranking Details

  • Percent of Graduates: 4.03%
  • Program Graduates: 5
  • Total Graduates: 124

School Details

  • School Type: Public, 2-year
  • Website: tbcc.cc.or.us
  • School Size: Less than 1,000
2

Western Oregon University

345 North Monmouth Ave, Monmouth, OR 97361-1394

" In addition to being top ranked for many years in Criminal Justice in general, we are glad to be ranked highly by the subfield of Corrections in Oregon through this current ranking, and accept it as one of the numerous accolades we have received from many agencies locally, regionally and nationally regarding the high quality of our graduates. Our program is designed to the highest standards of the American Criminal Justice Sciences, and being the oldest of the 4 -year degree granting State universities in the State, with a Graduate Studies Program, our program prides itself in its superiority through a focus on quality, access, and flexibility. We have awarded the highest number of degrees in the State and offer a wide variety of specialties within Criminal Justice. We focus on producing the highest quality graduates prepared to occupy the highest ranks within the Criminal Justice System, and have graduates in the top ranks of local, regional, and national agencies. Take a look at our website www.wou.edu/criminal-justice for details of what we offer you."

 

- Dr. Vivian Djokotoe. Department Chair

Ranking Details

  • Percent of Graduates: 3.44%
  • Program Graduates: 99
  • Total Graduates: 2,878

School Details

  • School Type: Public, 4-year
  • Website: wou.edu
  • School Size: 5,000 - 10,000
3

Southern Oregon University

1250 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland, OR 97520

Southern Oregon University ranks 3rd in our latest rankings with 67 students completing programs in criminal justice out of a total two thousand students.

Ranking Details

  • Percent of Graduates: 2.64%
  • Program Graduates: 67
  • Total Graduates: 2,538

School Details

  • School Type: Public, 4-year
  • Website: sou.edu
  • School Size: 5,000 - 10,000
4

Chemeketa Community College

4000 Lancaster Dr NE, Salem, OR 97305

Chemeketa Community College ranks 4th in our latest rankings with eighty students completing programs in corrections and security and loss prevention services out of a total three thousand graduates.

Ranking Details

  • Percent of Graduates: 2.23%
  • Program Graduates: 80
  • Total Graduates: 3,580
  • Programs:
    • Corrections
    • Criminal Justice
    • Police Science
    • Security And Loss Prevention Services
    • Juvenile Corrections

School Details

  • School Type: Public, 2-year
  • Website: chemeketa.edu
  • School Size: 10,000 - 20,000
5

Klamath Community College

7390 South Sixth Street, Klamath Falls, OR 97603-7121

Klamath Community College ranks 5th in our latest rankings with nine students completing programs in corrections and criminal justice out of a total 470 students from the 2012-2013 school year.

Ranking Details

  • Percent of Graduates: 1.91%
  • Program Graduates: 9
  • Total Graduates: 470
  • Programs:
    • Corrections
    • Police Science

School Details

  • School Type: Public, 2-year
  • Website: klamathcc.edu
  • School Size: 1,000 - 5,000

Continued List of All Criminal Jusitice Programs in Oregon

ProgramWebsite

Oregon Coast Community College

400 SE College Way, Newport, OR 97366
Phone: (541) 265-2283

Linn-Benton Community College

6500 Pacific Blvd SW, Albany, OR 97321
Phone: (541) 917-4999

Portland State University

724 SW Harrison, Portland, OR 97201
Phone: (503) 725-3511

Central Oregon Community College

2600 NW College Way, Bend, OR 97701
Phone: (541) 383-7500

Clackamas Community College

19600 Molalla Ave, Oregon City, OR 97045-8980
Phone: (503) 594-6000

Lane Community College

4000 E 30th Ave, Eugene, OR 97405-0640
Phone: (541) 463-3000

Umpqua Community College

1140 College Rd., Roseburg, OR 97470-0226
Phone: (541) 440-4600

Treasure Valley Community College

650 College Blvd, Ontario, OR 97914
Phone: (541) 881-8822

Rogue Community College

3345 Redwood Hwy, Grants Pass, OR 97527-9291
Phone: (541) 956-7501

Portland Community College

12000 SW 49th Avenue, Portland, OR 97219-7132
Phone: (971) 722-6111

Clatsop Community College

1651 Lexington Avenue, Astoria, OR 97103
Phone: (503) 325-0910

Columbia Gorge Community College

400 E Scenic Dr, The Dalles, OR 97058
Phone: (541) 506-6000

Oregon Correctional Officer Certification Requirements

The Oregon Department of Corrections recruits through a number of channels for motivated and professional men and women are looking for a rewarding career as a correctional officer. With openings in county jails, state and federal penitentiaries, there are numerous opportunities for career advancement. However, as a safety measure, the Oregon Nebraska DOC is committed to hiring only those candidates that fulfill all of the eligibility and aptitude requirements for the job. The process starts with several documents that are submitted as a preliminary application package. These are:

  • High school diploma or GED
  • Proof of age (21+) and U.S. citizenship
  • No felony convictions
  • Valid Oregon driver's license
  • Military honorable discharge papers from military if applicable

With the basic eligibility requirements met, the department will engage in further testing to determine of candidates re fit for the role of corrections officer. The state of Oregon requires correctional officer candidates to perform the following assessments:

  • Medical evaluation
  • Fitness evaluation
  • Psychological evaluation
  • Extensive personal, professional, and criminal background check as well as fingerprinting

Candidates who meet the department's requirements and screenings up to this point will be scheduled for an in-person interview. After that, selected candidates will be offered an placed in a hiring pool and enrolled in new hire training. Training at this stage focuses on practical tactics for the job, as well as policies and procedures that are applicable to the role. Personnel that have completed this last phase of the hiring process will be posted to job vacancies as the need arises.

Oregon Department of Corrections

2575 Center St. NE
Salem, OR 97301-4667
Phone: (503) 945-9090
http://www.oregon.gov/doc/Pages/index.aspx

Oregon Correctional Officer Employment & Outlook

Correctional Officer Salary: Oregon vs National Salary Comparison

Source: BLS State Cross-Industry Estimates 2011

One of the ways that the state of Oregon serves and supports correctional officers is through strong growth and competitive salaries throughout the state. As such, the median income for front-line correctional officers throughout the state is currently higher at $53,800 than the national median income at $39,800. According to the occupational profile for the state of Oregon found at http://www.careerinfonet.org/occ_rep.asp?next=occ_rep&Level=&optstatus=011000000&jobfam=33&id=1&nodeid=2&soccode=333012&menuMode=&stfips=41&x=37&y=7 and published by CareerInfoNet.org, state and national trends predict a 6% and 5% increase in correctional officer jobs by 2022 respectively, indicating that state growth is strong. For residents of Oregon this rate translates into 140 job openings per year.

Occupational Employment Statistics for Correctional Officers (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes333012.htm)

Oregon Correctional Officer Salaries By Area

The table below lists career information organized by the BLS for correctional officers in Oregon. The table is sorted by total employment, with the largest metropolitan areas listed first.

AreaTotal EmploymentAverage Hourly WageAverage Annual Salary
Portland, Vancouver, Hillsboro1,380$28.17$58,600
Salem740$23.80$49,500