To be eligible to become a Correctional Officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the following requirements must be met:

• You must be a citizen of the U.S, or an alien authorized to work in the U.S., at least 18 years old, and possess a High School Diploma from an accredited senior high school or equivalent, or a state or military-issued General Education Development (GED) certificate. Male applicants, age 18 through 25, must provide proof of Selective Service registration or exemption from Selective Service registration.

• You cannot be on active duty in the military unless on terminal leave, but you may apply and screen if you are within 6 months of eligibility. You must not have been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions.

• Must never have been convicted of a felony, a drug-related offense, or an offense involving domestic violence. You cannot have had a Class A misdemeanor conviction within the past 10 years, or a Class B misdemeanor conviction within the past 5 years. You cannot be on probation for any criminal offense, have any criminal charges pending, or have an outstanding warrant. You must pass the TDCJ Drug Test.

• Must be able to perform the essential functions of a Correctional Officer, with or without reasonable accommodation. Essential functions for Correctional Officer I can be found at the following link: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/vacancy/pd/033092.pdf

• Pass the TDCJ Pre-Employment Test. Questions cover areas, including: memory and observation, situational reasoning, reading comprehension/deductive reasoning, verbal reasoning, and arithmetic. You can take the pre-employment test twice in a one-year period. If you do not pass on your second attempt, you must wait one year from the date of your original test to be eligible to reapply. Sample test questions can be found here: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/vacancy/coinfo/test/info.html

• Pass the TDCJ Physical Agility Test. Physical Agility Test requirements can be found at the following link: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/vacancy/coinfo/pat.pdf

Additional Requirements With or Without Reasonable Accommodation can be found at the following link: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/vacancy/pd/033092.pdf

Continued employment is contingent upon passing exams and skill tests in the TDCJ Correctional Officer Pre-service Training Academy.

References

http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/vacancy/coinfo/emp-co.html