HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) welcomed a new class of 14 adult corrections officers (ACOs) in a ceremony Friday.
The new ACOs will now begin their careers at jails and prisons across the state as follows.
- Halawa Correctional Facility: 4
- Oahu Community Correctional Center: 3
- Waiawa Correctional Facility: 1
- Women’s Community Correctional Center: 6
The department has undergone several changes since it was redesignated from the Department of Public Safety last January, officials said.
Changes include compressing recruit training from 11 weeks to eight, and doubling recruit classes from three to six to help address staffing shortages.
Currently, there are approximately 1,110 filled ACO positions and an estimated 420 vacant ACO positions.
Friday’s graduating class is the sixth of this year, and DCR aims to have eight graduating classes by the end of the year.
The department said recruits undergo over 300 hours of classroom instruction and physical training.
All incoming classes receive recruit field training and basic corrections training. During the final weeks of training, they go into the facility where they begin their jobs with guidance from their training sergeants.
Click here to learn more about careers with DCR.
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