Government & Public SafetyCompare

Correctional Officer

O*NET: Correctional Officers and Jailers·33-3012.00

The Verdict:Prison environments demand constant human presence for physical searches, restraint, and real-time behavior monitoring to prevent violence and escapes. AI aids administrative logging and scheduling but cannot handle de-escalation or force. Legal training standards and institutional needs for accountable enforcement protect the role over the next decade.

Resilience Score

/100

Highly Resilient

Score tiers

Highly Resilient81–100

Resilient61–80

Moderate Risk41–60

High Risk21–40

Critical Risk0–20

How is this scored?

Task Resilience

How much of this role's daily work remains beyond AI and robotic automation.

30% of score

Physical Presence

The degree to which this job needs a human present — hands-on, in the field, or in the room.

20% of score

Human Necessity

How important the unique human edge is — for trust, accountability, or judgment.

15% of score

Regulatory Shield

How strong the legal requirement is for a human in this job (by law, licensing, or credentials).

13% of score

Technological Maturity

How far AI remains from performing this role's core functions.

10% of score

Displacement Evidence

The volume of jobs in this field being eliminated by AI or automation right now.

12% of score

Score last updated: February 2026Full methodology

Avg Salary

Median annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release.

$58k

Job Growth (10yr)

Projected change in total number of jobs (not salary) from 2024–2034. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections.

-7.8%

AI Exposure

Percentage of this role's analyzed tasks that AI can handle autonomously or nearly so. 0 of 28 tasks are classified as AI-exposed.

Low exposure

Task Analysis

This role's core work is hard to automate.
19 of 28 tasks require human judgment, presence, or trust. The 32% that are AI-leverage offer an edge — professionals who learn these tools will outperform those who don't.

0exposed

9AI leverage

19human-essential

View all 28 tasks

AI Can Handle This0 tasks

Tasks AI can do autonomously or nearly so

No exposed tasks identified

AI Leverage9 tasks

Master these tools — humans who do outperform those who don't

Record information, such as prisoner identification, charges, and incidents of inmate disturbance, keeping daily logs of prisoner activities.

Inspect mail for the presence of contraband.

Maintain records of prisoners' identification and charges.

Use nondisciplinary tools and equipment, such as a computer.

Provide to supervisors oral and written reports of the quality and quantity of work performed by inmates, inmate disturbances and rule violations, and unusual occurrences.

Assign duties to inmates, providing instructions as needed.

Arrange daily schedules for prisoners, including library visits, work assignments, family visits, and counseling appointments.

Process or book convicted individuals into prison.

Take fingerprints of arrestees, prisoners, or the general public.

Human Advantage19 tasks

Tasks requiring trust, presence, or novel judgment

Conduct head counts to ensure that each prisoner is present.

Inspect conditions of locks, window bars, grills, doors, and gates at correctional facilities to ensure security and help prevent escapes.

Monitor conduct of prisoners in housing unit, or during work or recreational activities, according to established policies, regulations, and procedures, to prevent escape or violence.

Search prisoners and vehicles and conduct shakedowns of cells for valuables and contraband, such as weapons or drugs.

Guard facility entrances to screen visitors.

Use weapons, handcuffs, and physical force to maintain discipline and order among prisoners.

Conduct fire, safety, and sanitation inspections.

Take prisoners into custody and escort to locations within and outside of facility, such as visiting room, courtroom, or airport.

Participate in required job training.

Serve meals, distribute commissary items, and dispense prescribed medication to prisoners.

Settle disputes between inmates.

Drive passenger vehicles and trucks used to transport inmates to other institutions, courtrooms, hospitals, and work sites.

Counsel inmates and respond to legitimate questions, concerns, and requests.

Issue clothing, tools, and other authorized items to inmates.

Search for and recapture escapees.

Supervise and coordinate work of other correctional service officers.

Investigate crimes that have occurred within an institution, or assist police in their investigations of crimes and inmates.

Sponsor inmate recreational activities, such as newspapers and self-help groups.

Conduct security checks of the premises.

Resilience Landscape

Correctional Officer lands in Stable, Lower Pay

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Correctional Officer

Task Analysis

Resilience Landscape

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