PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Finding the next generation of correction officers is why Captain Dennis Reichert and others with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections are excited about the minimum age requirement for trainees dropping from 21 to 18.
"Just lowering the age to 18 doesn't mean that we are going to hire every high school kid that comes in and applies at 18 years old. It was just to hit a benchmark. We want to bring the best candidates possible to the table," said Capt. Dennis Reichert, Recruitment and Retention Supervisor.
Since becoming the department's recruitment and retention supervisor, Reichert says hiring has increased.
Now, he's looking to capitalize on potential candidates who show interest in law enforcement in high school.
"These students are our target audience when we look at lowering the age to 18 because they are doing it for three years throughout their high school experience, wanting to go into law enforcement when they graduate, so they are prepared for something like this," explained Capt. Reichert.
"Certainly concerned by the idea of teenagers working in these dangerous jobs, I know that I certainly wasn't ready, mature enough as an 18-year-old to come in and work in a prison setting," said John Eckenrode, Pennsylvania State Correction Officers Association.
Before serving as the president of the Pennsylvania State Correction Officers Association, John Eckenrode was a corrections officer for more than 20 years.
With the trainees' age drop, Eckenrode hopes the Department of Corrections does a thorough job picking candidates for what he says can be a tough but successful career.
"We wear many hats; we are corrections officers, we are counselors, and sometimes we feel like we're psychologists," added Eckenrode.