Correctional Counselor

State of Iowa - Executive Branch; Coralville (IA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Iowa - Executive Branch seeks a Direct Offender Supervision/Case Management professional to provide casework and rehabilitation planning for incarcerated individuals. You will conduct assessments, plan interventions, and contribute to reentry strategies within a correctional facility.

You will participate in multidisciplinary teams, document progress, and support plans through training and quality improvement activities. A CDL may be required after hire.

Qualifications

• Four years of full-time work experience in providing individual and group guidance and related counseling services in social, behavioral, educational, vocational and related program planning; or performing correctional, law enforcement, or jail administration duties involving community reentry preparation, pro-social behavior modeling, or supervision of individuals in work assignments.

Responsibilities

• Provide individual case management and group facilitation in a correctional facility.
• Participate in disciplinary, classification, and pre-parole committee meetings.
• Recommend release decisions based on behavior and rights; ensure hearings and notifications are followed.
• Utilize core correctional practices to promote behavior change and community reentry.
• Develop treatment plans with a multi-disciplinary team and monitor progress.
• Attend and lead trainings; contribute to continuous quality improvement.

Skills

Guidance counseling

Behavioral modeling

Case management

Tools

ICON system

Job description

Job Description

Iowa Medical and Classification Center (IMCC) serves as the reception and classification center for all those entering the adult male institutional corrections system, which is estimated to be 400-500 newly commitments every month that are then processed on to the other facilities.

Iowa Medical and Classification Center (IMCC) serves as the reception and classification center for all those entering the adult male institutional corrections system, which is estimated to be 400-500 new commitments every month that are then processed on to the other facilities. IMCC is a multi-faceted facility that employs a diversified professional workforce providing comprehensive services to both offenders and patients. A medium security general population unit is in operation at IMCC and the Center also runs the only licensed forensic psychiatric hospital in the state, providing inpatient psychiatric and evaluation services to non-adjudicated patients. An additional unit consisting of 178 medical and psychiatric beds was added in 2007 to meet the increasing mental health and medical needs of the correctional population. Iowa Medical & Classification Center, we offer a wide range of career opportunities in various departments; i.e., Security, Treatment, Medical, Administrative, Business, Records, Maintenance/Trades, Warehousing, Food Service and other support areas.

This position

Direct Offender Supervision/Case management -

• Under the general supervision, has sufficient understanding and experience to perform a broad range of moderate to difficult professional case work involving incarcerated individuals.
• Provides individual case management and group facilitation in a correctional facility in the areas of social, behavioral, educational, vocational, and related program planning; participates in the development and implementation of specific plans and goals utilizing evidence-based practices for rehabilitation and gradual reintegration into the community; performs related work as required.
• Participates in disciplinary, classification, and pre-parole classification committee meetings involving assigned incarcerated individuals; reviews misconduct reports and determines in conjunction with review committee the extent
• Recommends incarcerated individuals for release based on behavior, attitude and related factors; ensures that all institutional policies in regard to committee functions are followed relative to incarcerated individual rights, appeals, notification of hearings and explanations relative to committee findings.

Interpersonal Interactions and Core Correctional Practices

• Demonstrates knowledge and understanding and utilization of skills of core correctional practice.
• Continuously interacts with incarcerated individuals, utilizing behavioral techniques to assist in the development of problem solving skills, facilitating behavior change, role playing, providing positive reinforcement when appropriate, and instituting corrective measures through the effective use of disapproval.
• Through behavioral modeling and interactions, serves as a change agent when working with incarcerated individuals to prepare them for successful community reentry.
• With a balanced approach (treatment & accountability) instructs incarcerated individuals in conditions of supervision, legal terms, legal documents, policies and procedures, in a manner that best suits their learning style. Assists incarcerated individuals in the development of attitudes and skills necessary for successful adaptation to a pro-social lifestyle back in the community.

Report Writing and Documentation

• Obtains and reviews all pertinent records and reports including probationary reports, criminal records and information concerning family, education, employment, health and other personal matters; assesses personal individual needs, capacities, educational level, family circumstances, behavioral problems and aspirations.
• Conduct and utilize assessments that identify risk, need, and responsivity for the purpose of developing effective intervention strategies targeted at improving institutional behavior and recidivism and development of case plans.
• Manage computer system ICON information and data input.

Multi-Disciplinary Team

• As part of a multi-disciplinary team, develops incarcerated individual treatment plans and implements and supports those plans in an effort to prepare incarcerated individuals for successful community reentry.
• Observes incarcerated individual behavior/interaction and regularly communicates observations and perceptions with co-workers and other treatment staff to enhance an effective team approach.
• Communicates and documents observations to ensure effective case management and consistent application of change principles.
• Consults with other professional staff members in structuring rehabilitative services and activities for incarcerated individuals with strong counseling and guidance needs; develops treatment plans that require special emphasis and change to increase the possibility of reaching a desired level of adjustment and orientation.

Training and Facilitation

• Attends and leads training classes and seminars; provides Training of Trainers in programs and provides continuous quality improvement to other staff as designated

E-Verify and Right to Work

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:

• Four years of full-time work experience in providing individual and group guidance and related counseling services in the areas of social, behavioral, educational, vocational and related program planning; or performing correctional, law enforcement, or jail administration duties involving community reentry preparation, pro-social behavior modeling, or supervision of individuals in work assignments.
• A total of four years of education and/or full-time experience (as described in number one), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university coursework in any field equals one year of full-time experience.

Additional Qualification Requirements

Within a period of time after hire, as determined by the appointing authority, employees in this class may be required to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and endorsements.