Four-week program begins July 18; grant funding available

NOTE: The Summer 2022 Corrections Academy has been canceled.  The next Corrections Academy is scheduled for February 2023.

To help address the need for qualified corrections officers regionally and statewide, 91²Ö¿â will host a four-week Local Corrections Officer Academy beginning July 18.  Funding provided by Michigan Works! and Michigan Learning & Education Advancement Program grants will cover a portion or all of the $1,500 tuition.

Academy graduates will learn the skills necessary to maintain safety and security in a correctional facility.  The program is open to both active sheriff’s deputies and corrections workers as well as pre-service recruits with no experience, explained Jim Cousino, 91²Ö¿â’s dean of career and technical education. 

The academy provides 160 hours of intensive training — the equivalent of a full semester’s classes — condensed into an accelerated program comprised of hands-on training, classroom demonstration and lecture.

“This is a comprehensive program covering every facet of ensuring safety inside a correctional facility, from booking and intake to ethics and diversity,” Cousino said.

91²Ö¿â is approved by the Michigan Sheriffs' Coordinating and Training Council (MSCTC) to offer the academy.  Following successful completion of an exam at the end of the program, graduates will be MSCTC-certified to work in sheriff’s offices and correctional facilities statewide. 

“Deputies are required to complete an MSCTC-approved academy within one year of hire, which provides a unique blend of active correctional officers and individuals who might be interested in a career in law enforcement or corrections,” Cousino said.  “The fact that they can complete the program with no out-of-pocket cost makes it an incredible opportunity.”