Become a Correctional Officer
The academy provides basic and specialized training for GDC staff to better prepare them to accomplish the agency's mission of operating secure facilities and providing opportunities for offender rehabilitation. Anyone interested in attending Basic Correctional Officer Training must be a current correctional employee and referred by their local Human Resources Administration.
The Georgia Corrections Academy's main campus offering Basic Correctional Officer Training (BCOT) Programs is located at State Offices South at Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia. Additional BCOT academies are located at the Northeast Region in Alto, Central Region in Milledgeville, and the Southeast Region in Reidsville.
BCOT is designed to meet the requirements established by the agency and POST Training Council for Correctional Officers and staff who supervise offenders as a part of their regular duties in state, county, and private facilities. It is also designed to provide basic skills training in security practices and procedures necessary to function in a correctional setting.
To attend BCOT, the applicant must first meet established standards on written examinations evaluating cognitive knowledge and performance-oriented tasks assessing psychomotor skills. Next, the applicant must pass a background verification to become employed with the agency. Once completed, the local Human Resources Administration at the facility will submit a request for the trainee to attend BCOT.
