JUVENILE JUSTICE DETENTION OFFICER I - 80004089

State of Florida • South Highpoint, FL

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) is seeking dedicated professionals to join their team. This role is crucial for enhancing public safety by providing high-quality services to youth and families. As a juvenile justice detention officer, your primary responsibility is to ensure public safety by maintaining a safe and secure environment for troubled youth in a structured setting. DJJ expects youth to be accountable for their actions while fostering a culture of dignity and respect. The goal is to treat each youth as an individual, providing the right services at the right time to help them become productive citizens. Detention officers are often the first DJJ employee to interact with juvenile offenders, making leadership, coaching, mentoring, and a desire to work with youth essential qualities for this role.

Requirements

• Be at least 19 years of age.
• Be a high school graduate or its equivalent as determined by the department.
• Not have been convicted of any felony or a misdemeanor involving perjury or false statement or have received a dishonorable discharge from any of the Armed Forces of the United States.
• Any person, who after September 30, 1999, pleads guilty or nolo contendere to or is found guilty of any felony or a misdemeanor involving perjury or false statement is not eligible for employment, notwithstanding suspension of sentence or withholding of adjudication.
• Abide by all provisions of s. 985.644 (1), regarding fingerprinting and background investigations and other screening requirements for personnel.
• Execute and submit to the Department an affidavit-of-application form, adopted by the Department, attesting to his or her compliance with subparagraphs 1-4. The affidavit must be executed under oath and constitutes an official statement under s. 837.06.
• Knowledge of department policies and procedures and procedures for the care, custody and control of youth.
• Knowledge of facility operating procedures.
• Knowledge of safety procedures and conducting strip searches.
• Knowledge of good hygiene and housekeeping tasks relating to maintaining the sanitary conditions of the facility.
• Skills in recognizing signs of potential suicide or depression and changes in youth’s behavior.
• Skills in addressing issues of youth who are experiencing problems.
• Ability to determine appropriate level of use of force.
• Ability to provide constructive feedback to correct behavior and use of conflict management skills.
• Ability to prepare and maintain reports and records relating to the supervision of youth.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide rational numbers.
• Ability to communicate both orally and in writing and to effectively work with youth, co-workers, supervisors and the public.
• Must be agreeable to working shift schedules, including rotating shifts, evenings, weekends, and holidays with varying days off.
• Must be agreeable to working unplanned overtime or unscheduled double shifts when necessary.
• All prospective candidates will be subject to a sex offender check, criminal background checks (state, local, and national) and pre-employment drug screening for direct care positions.
• Must obtain certification in accordance with the Department direct care training policy within 180 days of employment.
• For candidates not currently in the state system as a direct-care worker for DJJ at the time of application, the top-ranking candidate(s) after the interview phase will be required to take and pass an Ergometric’s IMPACT Assessment and Training Test.

Nice To Haves

• Leadership, coaching, mentoring, and a desire to work with youth are qualities that are essential.

Responsibilities

• Ensure public safety by providing a safe and secure environment for troubled youth in a structured setting.
• Hold youth accountable for their criminal actions.
• Strive to sustain a culture that promotes dignity and respect.
• Treat each youth as an individual by providing the right services, at the right time, in order to shape youth to become productive citizens in society.
• Serve as the first DJJ employee to interact with juvenile offenders.
• Maintain facility operating procedures.
• Conduct strip searches.
• Perform good hygiene and housekeeping tasks relating to maintaining the sanitary conditions of the facility.
• Recognize signs of potential suicide or depression and changes in youth’s behavior.
• Address issues of youth who are experiencing problems.
• Determine appropriate level of use of force.
• Provide constructive feedback to correct behavior and use of conflict management skills.
• Prepare and maintain reports and records relating to the supervision of youth.
• Communicate both orally and in writing and to effectively work with youth, co-workers, supervisors and the public.

Benefits

• 104 hours of paid vacation annually.
• 96 hours of paid sick leave annually, with unlimited accrual of unused hours.
• 9 paid holidays, and 1 personal day each year.
• 6 paid credit hours per term at Florida’s colleges and universities.
• Eligible for participation in student loan debt forgiveness program - affordable payments and possible balance elimination.
• Participation in one of the best group health insurance and dental plans offered by any employer.
• One of the most secure pension/investment plans available.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED