When Theresa Scott graduated from Canada's St. Thomas University with a degree in criminology, she still wasn't sure what she wanted to do.  Despite having studied criminal justice for four years, she was still curious about the corrections field, so she opted to enroll at Nova Scotia Community College for a year to get a feel for what working with offenders is all about.

"I studied criminology, but I still had misconceptions about what corrections was," Scott said.  "I wanted to explore corrections."

Scott went to the right place.  NSCC's Correctional Services program gives students both classroom instruction and real-life look at what it's like to work in the field.

"It's a broad-based generic approach to corrections," said Ron Joiner, a professor in the program.  "We prepare people for entry level positions [in corrections]."
 
Joiner said that a main focus of that preparation is providing students with the communication skills they need to be successful in corrections.

"We place a lot of emphasis on theory, practice and interpersonal skills," said Joiner.  "It's nice to have a bag of security skills that you can rely on, but, at the end of the day, what you have to do is be able to relate well to the clientele, problem solve, think quickly [and] know offender types so you know how to deal with them," he said.  "I tell students, sometimes, [that] the best corrections workers in the business are the ones who know how to use their heads.

Through courses like organizational behavior, communication and intervention strategies and correctional communications, Joiner said that the goal of the program is to teach students how to think through the situations they will face working in corrections and give them strategies for responding to them in the field.

"We feel that our students have the skills and the knowledge and the practice they need to at least get into entry-level positions so that, in time, they can proceed up the ladder," said Joiner.  "From day one [on the job], they know exactly what they are getting into.  They have had exposure to corrections [and] they have a good feel for the skill sets that are required for corrections [staff]."

The students know what to expect of their first job in corrections because NSCC's Correctional Services program requires them to spend a total of nine weeks working in the field.

During the end of the students' first semester, they are placed at a correctional facility or corrections-related organization for four weeks to gain some first-hand knowledge of what working in corrections entails.

To fulfill this requirement, Scott spent a month last fall at Cape Breton Correctional Facility in Sydney, shadowing corrections officers.  She said the experience gave her a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of COs.  At the end of this month, she will begin a similar stint at Southwest Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Yarmouth.

Joiner said that, while the on-the-job requirement of the program helps students become better acquainted with corrections, it also gives them a chance to show off their skills to agencies where they might be interested in eventually working.

"The agencies get a very good look at [the students] while they are there," Joiner said.  "The agencies then learn about the skill sets the students have.  Because they are there being observed, things are very favorable when it comes to hiring them on as employees.  They have a better chance."

Joiner said that the program is appropriate for both students who are seeking their correctional services diploma or those, like Scott, who are interested in learning more about corrections specifically after obtaining a criminal justice-related degree.

"We have students who come from universities and then land on our doorstep and they want the very specific skills sets that they need to work in corrections," Joiner said.  "They have got the theory.  They are well-prepared in that area, but what they want is specific job-ready skill sets, which we can provide."

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For more information, contact Joiner (902) 893-5319