How to become a corrections officer in Delaware
The Delaware Department of Correction hires state corrections officers under the title Correctional Officer. New officers start at $55,421 a year, rising to $81,237 after about 30 years. You must be at least 18.
Pay
| Starting salary | $55,421 |
|---|---|
| Top of scale | $81,237 |
| Years to top | 30 |
| Scale effective | 2026-07-01 |
Start is the base salary during initial training (CEIT); pay rises to $59,580 after training. Top is the 30-year step in the July 2025–June 2026 union pay table, the newest published.
Source:[doc.delaware.gov]
Requirements
- Minimum age: 18
- Education: High school diploma or equivalent
- Valid driver's license (not suspended, revoked, cancelled or disqualified)
- No felony convictions
- No probation within the last four years; no two misdemeanor convictions; no drug or domestic violence convictions
- No two or more DUIs, or a DUI First Offenders sentence, within two years of applying
- Honorable discharge if a veteran (DD214)
Source:[statejobs.delaware.gov]
Hiring process
- Apply online
- Pre-employment Physical Fitness Test (~400-yard run, stairs carrying equipment, dummy drag)
- Background investigation starting with a Personal History Statement
- Selection interview
- Conditional offer, then drug test and two-step TB skin test
- Psychological examination
- Eleven-week basic training (CEIT)
Source:[statejobs.delaware.gov]
Academy
11 weeks, paid. Eleven weeks of initial basic training at the DOC Training Academy in Dover, with a formal fitness test in week four. Recruits are paid cadet salary ($55,421.21 as of July 1, 2026) until they complete CEIT.[statejobs.delaware.gov]
Pension and retirement
- Plan: Delaware State Employees' Pension Plan — 25-Year Plan for Correctional Officers/Specified Peace Officers
- Benefit formula: For service on/after Jan 1, 2022: 2.5% × final average compensation (highest three 12-month periods) × service while total service is under 20 years; 3.5% × FAE × service above 20 years
- When you can retire: 25 years of credited service regardless of age, with 20 years as a correctional officer, and employed by DOC at retirement. Otherwise the general post-2011 rules apply: age 65 with 10 years, age 60 with 20 years, or 30 years at any age.
Since 1/1/2022, correctional officers contribute 7% of all pension-creditable earnings, with no annual exclusion. Formula from the Office of Pensions 2026 SPD (Figure 4) and its description of HB 80 (151st GA).
Source:[open.omb.delaware.gov]
Checked against official sources on 2026-10-23. Pay plans change; confirm with the employer before applying.