Corrections Counselor 2 - SCI Dallas

If you are inspired by the link between social work, counseling, and criminal justice, this is your chance to create a powerful and lasting impact! The Corrections Counselor 2 position with the Department of Corrections offers a meaningful role where you guide inmates at the State Correctional institution (SCI) at Dallas through behavioral challenges and support personal growth. You help individuals build skills that lead to positive change and successful re-entry into the community. This role allows you to make steady progress toward safer, stronger outcomes each day.

This position provides counseling and casework services to inmates who face behavioral or adjustment challenges within the correctional environment. The role supports rehabilitation, personal development, and successful preparation for community reintegration. As a Corrections Counselor 2, you will perform the following duties:

• Inmate Guidance: Interview inmates to support adjustment and encourage positive development
• Case Documentation: Maintain records, reports, and communication that support effective case management
• Assessment Review: Analyze tests and histories to determine programming needs and risk levels
• Program Coordination: Coordinate treatment plans, activities, and services that reinforce behavioral change
• Parole Preparation: Prepare reports, secure required documents, and support re-entry recommendations

Interested in learning more? Additional details regarding this position can be found in the position description.

Work Schedule and Additional Information:

• Full-time employment, 40 hours per week
• Work hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday - Friday, with a 30-minute lunch.
• This position is eligible for full retirement benefits at age 50 or 55.
• Telework: You will not have the option to telework in this position. 
• Salary: Selected candidates who are new to employment with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will begin employment at the starting annual salary of $64,574.00 (before taxes).
• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Experience and Training Requirements:

• Successful completion of the Corrections Counselor 1 (Commonwealth job title or equivalent Federal Government job title, as determined by the Office of Administration) training program; or
• One year of professional counseling or casework experience in a correctional facility, and a bachelor’s degree including 18 college credits in any combination of sociology, counseling, psychology, social work, corrections, criminal justice, or a related field; or
• An equivalent combination of experience and training that includes one year of professional counseling or casework experience in a correctional facility and 18 college credits in any combination of sociology, counseling, psychology, social work, corrections, criminal justice, or a related field.

Special Requirements:

• You must obtain Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network (CLEAN) and Pennsylvania Justice Network (JNET) certification within two months of employment and maintain certification for the duration of employment in this job.

Other Requirements:

• Successful completion of basic training in Elizabethtown, PA is required.
• You must meet the PA residency requirement. For more information on ways to meet PA residency requirements, follow the link and click on Residency Guidelines.
• You must be able to perform essential job functions.

Legal Requirements:

• You must pass a background investigation and meet Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliance requirements.

Commonwealth employees who wish to use their seniority rights must apply to the internal posting for their seniority rights to be considered.

How to Apply:

• Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position. Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).
• If you are claiming education in your answers to the supplemental application questions, you must attach a copy of your college transcripts for your claim to be accepted toward meeting the minimum requirements. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
• Your application must be submitted by the posting closing date. Late applications and other required materials will not be accepted.
• Failure to comply with the above application requirements may eliminate you from consideration for this position. 
• All application materials and interview responses must reflect the applicant’s own experience, qualifications, and work. Applicants may use generative AI tools for preparation purposes only. Use of AI to misrepresent or falsify information, or to assist during interviews, is not permitted. Review the Guidance for Generative AI Tools & Job Seekers for additional information.

Veterans:

• Pennsylvania law (51 Pa. C.S. §7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs. To learn more about employment preferences for veterans, go to www.pa.gov/agencies/employment/how-to-apply.html and click on Veterans.

Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS): 

• 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).

If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.

The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce. The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law. All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

• Completing the application, including all supplemental questions, serves as your exam for this position. No additional exam is required at a test center (also referred to as a written exam).
• Your score is based on the detailed information you provide on your application and in response to the supplemental questions. 
• Your score is valid for this specific posting only.
• You must provide complete and accurate information or:
  • your score may be lower than deserved.
  • you may be disqualified.
• You may only apply/test once for this posting.
• Your results will be provided via email.

Salary : $64,574 - $98,144