IDOC Questions (Hiring, Duration, Processing, etc.)

[glockil]

Hello, I'm new to posting in these forums, but have read them at length and would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this invaluable resource. With that being said, I have a lot of questions that I was hoping someone could help me out with.

I applied to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) back in September of 2006, and tested in February 2007. I passed the written, physical and interview without any issues and had an overall score of 58. I was recently informed that I passed the BI, and was put on the hiring lists at my counties of choice. However, I have a few questions. To make this easier to read, I will number my questions.

1) Given my score, what are the chances that I will get hired by I.D.O.C., and when should I expect a call? How does my score rate compared to others? Should I retest or wait it out? The counties I chose contain the Danville, Pontiac, and Dwight correctional facilities.

2) If/when I am called, how is the medical (read:fully body physical) examination and how extensive is it? Where is the location of the medical evaulation facility? I've had surgery on my right knee in the past (which required screws), but am quite athletic and can run/sprint, and lift free weights/do pushups without any issues, (I'm 6'3'' and about 180lbs.). In a nutshell, I consider myself to be in pretty good physical shape and I know that I would be able to handle the physical part of the academy and the job. Will there be any issues with having a surgery in the past?

3) If/when I receive a call, how long will I have to make preparations to get to the academy and is the academy like basic training where you are required to stay for the entire 6 weeks without leaving the premises?

4) When are IDOC academies typically held, and what is the training like?

I'd really appreciate any help that any of you can offer, even if you are from a state other than Illinois that has comparable hiring procedures, as I am in the dark about much of this process. My deal is that I was accepted into U of I's MSW Program, (I have a BA in Criminology and Political Science), but I have a strong desire to work in Corrections for the forseeable future rather than to pursue an Master's degree at the moment. Again, thanks for your time, as I really do appreciate any advice that you could offer to me.

[angelasdad]

let me see if I can help you out. I applied in January of 06,tested in June of 2006. I ended up with a overall score of 69 I believe,and passed mu BI a month or so later. I have yet to get a call. I think they had 3 or 4 academies last year,with one early in the year and the others after september. From what I've heard from people you get about 3-4 weeks notice that you've got a chance to work with them. I'm not sure on the medical questions you have. As far as I know they don't have set academy dates, or a set number of recruits. When they get a good number together they do one. I think your score is fine. When I talked to someone at IDOC they said the average score is in the 40s(hard to believe but true i guess). I wouldn't retest. The hiring list is only good for a year,and you may never get called the first time around and end up retesting anyway. Someone at IDOC actually told me I would probably have to retest,which leads me to believe they won't be having another academy before June. I do know they hire based on your location you pick. I applied for stateville. I figured it's close to me,and being pretty large figured it would have a high turnover rate of employees and I'd have a better chance of getting on. I've called them several times and they have no clue as to when they will be having another academy. It seems to me they would be more actively hiring, but that's the government for you.

hope that helps. any more questions ask away.......

[glockil]

Thanks for your quick reply! Please feel free to add anything else about your experiences that you can remember, (i.e. when you called or wrote IDOC Central Screening, what kind of information did they give you about hiring and such).

I was worried about my score, but I suppose that it is okay, particularly given the counties that I applied to and that I don't have a military background or previous law enforcement experience. Hopefully I will get hired by IDOC and make it into the next academy, (whenever that may be), but I guess I'll just start the Master's Program at U of I in June and will focus on that for the next several years, unless I hear something from IDOC within the next few months. I have a strong desire to work in corrections and I hope everything works out with IDOC, (and I hope you are able to get employed there as well!).

Again, thanks for all of the information!

Is there anybody else out there who is employed by IDOC and whom could shed some more light on the process/academy?

[glockil]

*BUMP* Are there any IDOC employees who have been through the process who can tell me more about it? Thanks in advance.

[angelasdad]

there's a few,try posting in the illinois or corrections forum, you may get some more responses there

[glockil]

Thanks, I just posted a similar thread there and am hoping to get more details.