By Sarah Roebuck
Corrections1
TRENTON, N.J. — The New Jersey Department of Corrections is welcoming the Department’s Correctional Staff Training Academy’s largest graduating class since 2019 into the ranks of correctional officers.
“We are excited to welcome 86 new correctional police officers,” said Governor Murphy. “Each Class 255 graduate has proven that they possess the work ethic, determination and dedication required to join the ranks of our honored correctional officers. Congratulations and I wish you luck as you go forth and serve your state in the crucial work of protecting public safety, and the safety and dignity of incarcerated people here in New Jersey.”
The newly appointed officers are now part of the state’s biggest law enforcement body, which has more than 4,390 staff members in charge of overseeing the wellbeing of more than 13,600 individuals in custody across nine establishments, the DOC said.
Class 255 underwent 17 weeks of rigorous coursework, followed by a two-week hands-on training period at NJDOC facilities. The curriculum covered firearms training, defensive strategies, methods for resolving conflicts and de-escalating situations, criminal justice principles, policing informed by gender and trauma awareness, emergency medical procedures and over 50 sessions of physical conditioning.
This past November, a new four-year contract was established for correctional police officers, offering an annual salary increase of 3.5%, with the potential for further yearly adjustments. The agreement also features a revised pay schedule for higher net earnings, setting the starting salary at $49,680 and allowing senior officers’ salaries to vary between $68,000 and $123,000 annually.