Correctional officer trainer Dave Olivelli, left, demonstrates the proper way to handcuff a prisoner during a training session last year at the ACI.

The Providence Journal / Bill Murphy

“Times may be tough in Rhode Island right now, but the Department of Corrections is hiring,” said A.T. Wall, its director. The department is now recruiting for the next class of correctional officers, who will attend the nine-week Training Academy starting Nov. 10.

The official kickoff for the recruiting period began May 2. Applications will be accepted through May 31.

The Department of Corrections employs about 900 correctional officers. As of Tuesday, the inmate population was 3,866. The goal is to graduate 65 correctional officers in the new class, scheduled to begin working in January. It’s a competitive process. According to the department, there were more than 2,000 applicants for last October’s class at the Training Academy. Of those, 880 showed up for the written exam, and 447 passed. The top 107 were interviewed, 47 entered the Training Academy in October, and 37 graduated in December.

“This is not a job for the weak of character,” Wall said. The department is looking for people with a firmness, integrity, maturity and strong communication skills. “This is a job about managing people, many of them quite difficult people,” Wall said.

Wall said correctional officers, at their best, can serve as role models for inmates.

“Survey after survey show that inmates who go on to lead successful lives, when they are asked who made a difference, they’ll cite a corrections officer,” Wall said.

Applicants for the job, with pay starting at $32,831, must be at least 18 with a valid photo identification, have a Social Security or alien registration card, have a high school diploma or GED, and be fluent in English. The selection process includes a drug test, criminal background check, a written and video-based exam, a physical agility test, medical screening, and a psychological assessment. There is also an interview before a panel of corrections personnel.

Wall said the department was making a particular effort to recruit a diverse group of new correctional officers, and the department has been working with a variety of community groups in its recruiting effort, including the state Department of Labor and Training, the NAACP, the Narragansett Indian Tribe, Progreso Latino, Rhode Island Affirmative Action Professionals, the Socio-Economic Development Center for Southeast Asians and the Urban League.

Cheryl Burrell, diversity administrator for the Rhode Island Department of Administration, was among the speakers at the recruiting event on May 2. “Our diversity practices do not compromise hiring standards,” she said. “Our willingness to embrace diversity is for all the right reasons.”

Wall said the prison population in the state consists of roughly 50 percent minorities, and it makes sense from a perspective of both community relations and security to have correctional officers who reflect the population. “We need staff who understand the background, culture, even the slang of our minority communities,” he said.

Applicants can apply for jobs online at www.doc.ri.gov or www.netWORKri.org or by calling the Training Academy at (401) 462-5627. The Department of Corrections strongly urges candidates to apply online.

The department is holding a series of information sessions for interested applicants at the Training Academy, 16 Wilma Schesler Lane, Cranston, in the Pinel Building, Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m; Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m.; May 19 from 5 to 7 p.m.; May 22 from 4 to 6 p.m.; May 27 from 5 to 7 p.m.; and May 31 from 10 a.m. to noon. Registration is required. Anyone interested in attending a session should call the Training Academy at (401) 462-2697 at least two days before the session.

asmith@projo.com