Alaska Correctional Officer Recruitment
Join Our Team
| Starting | 5th Year | |
| Anchorage | $26.40 | $34.31 |
| Bethel | $39.60 | $51.47 |
| Fairbanks | $27.19 | $35.34 |
| Juneau | $27.72 | $36.03 |
| Ketchikan | $26.40 | $34.31 |
| Nome | $36.17 | $47.00 |
| Seward | $26.40 | $34.31 |
| Years of Service | Hours:Minutes per pay period |
| 0 - 2 | 7:23 |
| 2 – 5 | 9:14 |
| 5 – 10 | 11:05 |
| 10+ | 12:56 |
The health benefit that the State of Alaska provides to its eligible employees is commonly referred to as AlaskaCare. The AlaskaCare Health Plan, dental, and vison plans can help you and your eligible dependents pay for medical, dental, pharmacy and vision expenses. A Critical Illness Supplemental Insurance Policy is also available for voluntary purchase.
More InformationAlaska's retirement plan is known as a PERS Defined Contribution Retirement (DCR) Plan. Eight percent (8%) of your wages and a five percent (5%) employer contribution are made before taxes each pay period. These contributions, plus any change in value, are payable to you after you vest (Officers vest after five years of service).
More InformationA Basic Life premium is paid by the State and pays $10,000 upon the employee’s death to the employee’s beneficiary, with smaller amounts for the employee’s dependents’ deaths. You may also choose to enroll in Optional Life for a very low cost. An Accidental Death & Dismemberment premium for employees is also paid by the State.
The Defined Contribution Retirement Plan (Tier IV employees; i.e. those who entered service after June 30, 2006) allows employees to voluntarily set aside in a Deferred Compensation Plan a portion of their income before it is taxed. If you are under 50, the maximum that you may defer is $19,000 in 2019, but if you are age 50 or over, you can defer an additional $6,000 annually.
To ensure a greater benefit to employees, the State of Alaska opted out of the Social Security system for state employees on January 1, 1980. The State contributes 6.13 % of your wages, and you contribute 6.13% also, up to the maximum taxable Social Security earnings ($132,900 in 2019). You can control the investment of this money in the various options the State provides through Great West (Empower Retirement).
With the Select Benefits Health Flexible Spending Accounts (HFSA), you can set aside money to pay for certain health care expenses on a tax-free basis. You must contribute in whole dollar amounts. The contribution amount you elect will be deducted from your paycheck in equal amounts throughout the year.
Learn More About a Career in CorrectionsAlaska Department of Corrections employees are on the front lines of Law Enforcement and Public Safety across the state. Our dedicated men and women serve our communities in many ways, including upholding security inside of our correctional institutions, maintaining safety for our communities by preventing escapes, and guiding offenders through the correctional system to ensure a successful release. Each Correctional Officer is essential to our overall function and success as a State.
"I’m a Sergeant at the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center and I would like to welcome you into the Correctional Officer profession; it is a profession like no other. As a Correctional Officer, you will walk one of the toughest beats in Law Enforcement.
Today's Correctional Officers are hard-working professionals who put their lives on the line 24/7 protecting the public. You meet high standards to be hired and you will continue to meet high standards throughout your career. We are held to and honor a demanding and stringent code of conduct. When you join the Alaska Department of Corrections you are starting a career and joining an organization you can be proud of!"
- Sgt. Randy McLellan
- Lt. Harry Moore discussing a career in Alaska Corrections.
Because Correctional Officers supervise a wide range of offenders, from high security to minimum levels, they must have the ability to handle confrontations, good oral and written communication skills, the ability to interact with various types of people, stay calm under stress, be impartial, and they must be aware and observant at all times as they watch for security breaches. Patience and tolerance are needed, along with the ability to be firm and assertive when necessary. A high level of moral integrity and dedication to duty, honor, and selfless service is required. A professional, disciplined demeanor that reflects the responsibility of the position and the uniform is required, along with the ability to learn, understand, and follow policies and procedures. Being physically fit is important.
Other sought-after abilities include resilience, learning from setbacks or failures, motivation, teamwork, multi-tasking, diffusing potentially volatile situations, and thinking on one’s feet by quickly responding to changing situations, weighing evidence, processing information quickly, and acting decisively.
Learn More About a Career in Corrections