Virginia Law

A. Pursuant to the provisions of subdivision 9 of § 9.1-102 of the Code of Virginia, the department under the direction of the board establishes the compulsory minimum training standards for full-time or part-time correctional officers of the Department of Corrections.

B. Individuals hired as correctional officers as defined in § 53.1-1 of the Code of Virginia shall meet or exceed the compulsory minimum training standards at a certified criminal justice training academy, external training location, or satellite facility and complete field training requirements. Correctional officers shall comply with the following:

1. Successfully complete basic correctional officer training at a certified criminal justice training academy, external training location, or satellite facility, which includes receiving a minimum of 400 hours of department approved training in the following categories:

a. Security and supervision;

b. Communication;

c. Safety;

d. Emergency response;

e. Conflict and crisis management;

f. Law and legal;

g. Duty assignments and responsibilities;

h. Professionalism;

i. Basic corrections officer firearms training; and

j. Physical fitness training.

2. Successfully complete a minimum of 200 hours of approved training in the category of field training identified in the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services Field Training and On the Job Training Performance Outcomes.