Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office

Jail Services

The Jail Services Division is responsible for the operation of all adult detention facilities in Hamilton County that are under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s Office. This includes all uniformed Corrections Officers, Corrections Supervisors, and support service personnel who all recognize their responsibility and obligation to maintain a safe and secure environment for those individuals committed to the Division’s care and custody.

The Division maintains the Justice Center with an inmate capacity of 1,240. Division personnel also provide for the security of inmates who are admitted to the hospital and for juveniles who are to be tried as adults.

To provide for the general welfare of inmates, the Jail Services Division administers a wide variety of programs and services, including an accredited Health Services Section (medical, dental and psychiatric), a commercially equipped laundry, and an institutional kitchen that prepares 120,000 meals a month. Division Staff are also responsible for the supervision of inmate recreation programs and for the efficient operation of the commissary, mail, and property room services.

To reduce recidivism of those in custody of the Sheriff’s the following programs have been implemented:

Adult-education classes

The Division offers an Adult Education Program addressing the needs of the incarcerated adult learner, whose skills range from illiteracy to college level classes. Hamilton County is the only Sheriff’s Office in Ohio to offer final GED Testing on-site for qualifying students. The Division also offers the “Mentoring Against Negative Actions” program, which is designed to help young men become responsible grown men. The Jail Service Division recognizes their responsibility and obligation to maintain a safe and secure environment for those individuals committed to the Division’s care and custody.

Veteran Unit

The veterans unit was implemented to support those who have served their country by housing them in one unit so they may aide each other. The veteran inmates receive wraparound support and post incarceration placement from various agencies throughout the County.  Some of the participants are volunteers from the Veterans Administration, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, the American Legion, Shelter House and Joseph House.

Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous Counseling

Addiction among those incarcerated is a significant challenge. In order to combat this problem, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office has partners with Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous to provide ongoing support to the inmate population.

Religious Services

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office partners with the non-profit organization “Transforming Jail Ministries”, which has hundreds of volunteers who provide religious services for every religious denomination.

Re-Entry Unit

The Jail Services Division has partnered with the Hamilton County Commissioners’ Re-Entry program so that incarcerated inmates can better transition into society more quickly and be better equipped to face the challenges of returning to society.

Jail Services

Corrections Officers play a critical role in the custody, security, and treatment of inmates or detainees while learning and developing the interpersonal skills required to perform a range of corrections officer assignments. Working in the jail provides valuable experience, knowledge, and communication to prepare Deputies to move into various roles within the Sheriff’s Office.

Our employment process is rigorous, and we only select those few who are passionate about engaging with their community and serving those around them. Due to the significance of the sworn position, applicants must always be truthful in their application responses and during the entire certification/hiring process. Failure to be truthful during the certification/employment process may disqualify an applicant. Truthfulness and candor in this application process are important requirements for becoming a Correctional Officer.

Corrections Academy

Corrections Officers are hired into our 10-week, paid Corrections Academy, where they learn Teamwork, Inmate communication/de-escalation tactics, Teamwork, physical conditioning, defensive tactics, first aid, and laws/regulations. Students must meet the testing, attendance, and physical conditioning requirements to complete the Academy successfully. Recruits learn a sense of community and Accountability the HCSO way:

Minimum Requirements:

  • Candidate must have a High School Diplo9ma or GED equivalence
  • Candidate must possess a valid driver’s license and a clean driving history
  • Candidate must be able to pass a drug screening, medical examination by a licensed physician, and a CVSA (lie detector)
  • Candidate must be 18 years of age prior to the hire date
  • Candidate must be a U.S. citizen or Naturalization Certified
  • Candidate must have a clean criminal record, including no felony convictions
  • Candidate must not have had a DUI conviction within the past five years and no more than two in a lifetime
  • Candidate must have an Honorable Military Discharge, if applicable

Applicants may be disqualified from consideration for certification/employment as a Correctional Officer if it is determined that the applicant:

  • Was untruthful, deliberately omitted, concealed, or falsified relevant facts during the certification/employment consideration process;
  • Been convicted of a felony;
  • Committed serious employment-related crimes;
  • Sold illegal drugs;
  • Used illegal drugs within a specific period of time; OR
  • Acquired extensive debt or evidence of extreme financial negligence


Schedule:

Corrections Officers work 12-hour shifts: 7 am – 7 pm or 7 pm to 7 am. There is occasionally mandatory overtime in 4-hour increments. There is also a mandatory shift that is worked once every 30 days.

Please note:  If you apply for a corrections officer position, most communication(s) from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will be via email. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to ensure your email address is current in your online profile and that you check your email, including “Spam” and “Junk” folders, to ensure you do not miss any notifications. In addition to checking your personal email account, you may also check for notifications by logging in to the online application system and utilizing your login and password.