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Are you considering a career in Corrections?
While we have institutions across the state, we all work towards one mission: Creating opportunities for safer communities.

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You've come to the right place.

The Iowa Department of Corrections is one of the largest employers in state government. While we have institutions across the state, we all work towards one mission: Creating opportunities for safer communities. Approximately 3,600 employees are currently building rewarding careers in the Department. If you’re looking for career fulfillment, excellent benefits and a supportive work environment, you’ve come to the right place – the Iowa Department of Corrections.

This not a job. It's a career.

Corrections is a place where you will not just be working a job, but paving your career. The nature of the work is engaging, challenging, and honorable. At the Iowa DOC, you’ll have opportunities for training, teamwork, and professional progress in a meaningful field.

Many different positions. One team.

There are many different types of positions, and most team members change positions over the course of their career. Some may start as a correctional officer, but eventually want to become a counselor, a trades leader, or work their way up in the security-side of corrections and become a prison security director or warden. There are many other positions that become available within the world of corrections that the opportunities are hard to list. The best way to find out more is to start.

Work hard. Get compensated.

Corrections offers a competitive salary and benefits in comparison to other public employment and other state corrections departments. Starting salaries often begin around $40,000 per year, with the opportunity for yearly increases. In addition, there are competitive benefits such as vacation, state insurance for individuals and families, sick leave, and IPERS retirement. The IDOC is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

We train you for your career.

The DOC Training and Professional Development Program serves all Institutions and Community Based Corrections employees statewide. Their mission is to prepare and update institution and community correctional employees’ knowledge base, skills, and competencies, and to enable them to perform their duties within the parameters of sound and effective correctional practices in order to protect the public, themselves, and their co-workers, while managing offenders.

And we'll train you when you start.

All new employees hired receive pre-service training which could last between one to four weeks depending on their specific job class.  This initial basic training will occur at the DOC Learning Center in Des Moines. All employees will receive ongoing training throughout their time with the DOC as well. The training classes, plus room and board, are provided at no expense to the employees.