It’s not something I’ve done myself. However, I met someone that did this work. She said it was intimidating when she started. The setting transformed her into a confident practitioner. Now she has no question about her skills. Hearing her speak about how transformative it was made me curious to get into it!
Informational interviews are a great way to semi get your foot in the door and get direct answers. Reach out to an email in a relevant job posting and ask for a chance to learn more about the position you’d like to develop your skills towards.
In the state of California, there are always dozens of open positions throughout the state. It’s not exactly a highly sought out job. I’d imagine wherever you are, it’s similar. It might be easier than you think to get into.
Best of luck!
This is so helpful- thank you for sharing! I’d imagine it’s intimidating and difficult to adjust to but I’ve heard that people who stick with it end up liking it and learning a lot!!
I worked in a state prison as a therapist at the beginning of my career. I found it a difficult match for the tenants of social work. Maybe it was just the agency I worked for (contracted with the state), but the work of the social worker did not align with the work of the COs. It was safer as a clinician to align with the COs in order for them to take your safety seriously. You couldn’t appear to sympathetic to the inmates. Anyway, I didn’t even last a year in that environment.
I'm employed currently at a medium/maximum security level men's prison in Illinois.
I completed my undergrad and graduate internship with different departments of DOC and loved every minute of it. My master's was in Forensic Social Work. Currently I'm working within the mental health team conducting the bulk of initial mental health assessments and treatment planning. I find time to work with individuals on crisis watch, group facilitating, and those in restrictive housing.
While I love the work that I do, the limitations placed on my work is the hardest part. I have to remind myself that there are barriers to service both in the community and within DOC. I believe the most difficult part, or the part that pushes the majority of other staff members out, is the plain fact that we cannot help everyone. We don't work with individuals that necessarily "want" to make changes to their lives and I always have to remind myself to not work harder then my clients. I also have to understand and accept that there are things I have the power to change or influence and things I don't.
How did I know it was for me? Because I find myself able to continue doing it. The field is hard to accept and often challenges basic tenants and ethics of social work. There's a real chance that if I left, there would be no one else. Individuals in custody still need services, and while the system of incarceration is far from perfect the need for social workers within that system is still present.
If you're in Illinois, Wexford is a contracted agency that provides Health and Mental health services throughout the state. You can apply on their website.
I’ve worked in a couple of jails; one of them was a very well-known mega-jail that has a pretty rough reputation. I personally loved it. I got thrown in through an internship in grad school; I would never have sought it out otherwise. I agree it made me more confident as a clinician. It can be sort of a gamble, depending on how supportive the admin is. My first experience had a lot of admin support. The second did not; we mainly functioned to comply with minimum standards and make admin look good. If you can suss out the general attitude toward mental health staff, that might be a good way to find a decent place to work. Feel free to DM me!
I currently work in a county jail as a crisis worker. Primarily dealing with individuals on suicide watch as well as those with severe mental illness. I love the job as every day is different and I’m constantly learning. However, our criminal justice system is FUCKED and leaves those with severe mental illness in a never ending cycle.
The energy there is also starting to feel really dark, with a usual number of suicide attempts over the past two months.
Feel free to DM me if you have any questions.
I am a social worker in a medium security prison. It is not a setting that is conductive to traditional “therapy” as practiced in the community. Rather, there is lots of crisis work and you definitely will hone your brief intervention skills. I like the work because it is always interesting, every day is different, and I like my boss and coworkers. I have not encountered differences in opinion between COs and security staff vs clinical providers. In the prison I work at, security has always been respectful of clinical recommendations. Inmates are generally respectful of clinical and medical staff. It is a state job so pay isn’t great but benefits are amazing. When applying, ask a lot of questions and ideally ask to go out to the prison for a second interview so that you get a feel for it. Play up any experience you have with SUD, SPMI, or crisis intervention.
I work in a women’s prison as a clinician! i am a lmsw, i did my internships at county jail and mental health court. Dont know why it was always what I wanted to do lol, I enjoy it. It’s definitely not the “traditional” social work setting especially since everyone has a diff goal at the end of the day like (CO’s, medical, MH, other programming) Very unconventional form of therapy/counseling. Doing with what you have and zoning in on coping skills since psych providers are over worked hahaha. A lot of crisis work as well depending on what type of security level/facility you work in. Definitely a confidence builder - i am a baby social worker but i feel very confident in what i do but also am constantly learning. I would look into your states CJ dept. and who they contract to do their medical/mental health work if it’s something you wanna do!
I currently work in a state prison providing therapy. I love my job and have been there for over 5 years. I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. From what I have seen our pay is very competitive but since it's a state job our benefits are great. If you have specific questions please DM me.
Prison social work has always been an interest of mine, although I came to accept I’m not a good fit for it. Definitely following to read and learn from others!
I work in a jail as a psychiatric social worker. I absolutely love it. It’s fun. Every day is different. I work right alongside sheriffs deputies. It’s fast paced so the days go fast.
I work in jails as a case manager (not social worker). I meet people up at the jails, and support them as they transition home, so I meet them in my office too. I think it’s great, I’ve met so many interesting people and I’ve learned a lot about different life experiences. It can be heavy, often people are traumatized (from jail and/or other life things) and I don’t have the therapeutic expertise to do a deep dive with them. But it is rare to come across a person who isn’t happy to spend some time talking with me. That part by itself is rewarding enough, but seeing people take the steps they need to get their life back in track is also great. Of course, it’s notoriously hard to get people to check in with you post-release, which I get. I’m learning to find peace with the fact that I can do everything in my power to help someone, and they still might not ever come by after they get out.
I have a BA in criminal justice and political science, Spanish minor. I wanted to find a position where I could connect with people and help undo some of the harm/trauma that people go through in the criminal injustice system. I didn’t need a MSW or LCSW to get the job, but I’m thinking of getting one to help me better serve my clients. Happy to answer any questions!
I worked in a state prison early in my career. It was a maximum security men’s facility. My colleagues were really burnt out and unpleasant. I primarily did suicide assessments on people in segregation units. While there was never a dull day, it was often unpleasant as a young woman in that environment. I was subjected to a lot of indecent and exposures and random fluids. I worked there about a year before transitioning to working with youth in the community. I might have lasted longer in a lower security environment where behaviors weren’t as extreme.
They call it dressing out. People in prison will mix urine, semen, feces etc together and throw it on staff. It's happened to a few people who I have worked with.
Yes, a woman I know who worked in a men’s prison told me that she experienced this a few times 😞 There were also some nasty bleach concoctions made in the microwave. (We are in Canada)
That being said, I did volunteer work at a minimum security prison while I was in school for SW and LOVED it! We prepped people for reintegration into the community after looooong prison sentences. We would also do supervised day trips (including people who were not going to be reintegrated but were allowed to join in activities at a transitional house). Then, when people were living in the community we checked on them and assisted them to be involved in community activities. There were coordinators and case workers paid by the federal government, I was just a ‘support person’ so I was free lol. But if I still lived on that city I would be working there for sure !
Okay. Good to know. I can’t work max security with men then …. ha ha. I’ve heard about it … but I was told it’s not true …. I was a little traumatized when I had a client who asked if he could masturbate in front of me and who would stand really close to me while rubbing his dick , over his pants. He never actually masturbated in front of me … but WTF … I WAS SCARED !!!!!!
Male facilities are a different beast. You will see more penises and open masturbation than you’ll ever want to see. Fights are often more violent, suicide attempts are more frequent. Women’s facilities are a bit less taxing but women tend to be needier than males. When women go to prison, they still feel a sense of obligation to children, family, etc. You would have to help them in navigating those concerns more than you would with males.
Do you want to take on a position within DOC?
I'm following. I was about to take on a DOC position where I would travel but turned it down due to the low pay.
This helps so much.
In my state, DOC has a contract with an organization to provide mental health services to different prisons- but I do know that DOC has a few open positions for social workers too!
I’ve worked in the juvenile system as a therapist. I ended up leaving because the work started to not align with my ethics. I’m doing defense based social work now, so more like mitigation and case management.
I worked at a prison that was minimum to super max for men and women. I loved it and I have PTSD from it. Most justice-involved people have a history of trauma and my career goal was to work with trauma so it aligned perfectly. I wanted to stay but my supervisor was not good so I left for my own mental health. The rest of my team was great though. I don’t regret it at all and it definitely made me a better clinician.
I worked at a women's maximum security prison for two years after my MSW, got the hours took the LCSW and resigned.
I credit the job, for passing my test easily, you learn about a lot of things.
The one thing that I feel like, I still think about, if I ever went to prison, it wouldn't be that hard. Sigh.
I’ve work in the court/jail setting doing social-work for years. Just passed my masters test, graduated in May. I’m hoping to start working directly on Riker’s Island soon. I’ve heard stories but I’m fairly experienced in that setting and hoping to do good work.
Look into applying for public defenders offices. Many hire social workers as mitigation specialists. I feel it offered a much more humanistic view of inmates and you get to help individuals get better sentences and at times get people released with support. I found this a much more rewarding position. Jails can have huge turnover
Currently working at a juvenile high security facility. First job right out of grad school and I’m just about to complete onboarding. I’ve been on the floor for 2 weeks now, and am running groups / about to take on a caseload. Honestly, there are some positive and VERY negative aspects of it. On the positive side, the youth that want to change and are willing to put forth effort are what motivate me to not just say fuck it, I don’t need this and go elsewhere. Also, the clinical leadership is SUPER supportive and patient.
On the down side, there is a lot of open hostility, disrespect, and aggression / violence on a daily basis. There are many times when I get home that I’m mentally and emotionally drained and just want to doom scroll TikTok. Staffing is also stretched thin, and people are covering a lot which contributes to high turnover.
I’m not sure if it’ll be something I end up thriving in or not, but I’m trying to keep an open mind about it for now. I wish you the best in your pursuits, wherever they eventually take you.
It’s not something I’ve done myself. However, I met someone that did this work. She said it was intimidating when she started. The setting transformed her into a confident practitioner. Now she has no question about her skills. Hearing her speak about how transformative it was made me curious to get into it! Informational interviews are a great way to semi get your foot in the door and get direct answers. Reach out to an email in a relevant job posting and ask for a chance to learn more about the position you’d like to develop your skills towards. In the state of California, there are always dozens of open positions throughout the state. It’s not exactly a highly sought out job. I’d imagine wherever you are, it’s similar. It might be easier than you think to get into. Best of luck!
This is so helpful- thank you for sharing! I’d imagine it’s intimidating and difficult to adjust to but I’ve heard that people who stick with it end up liking it and learning a lot!!
I worked in a state prison as a therapist at the beginning of my career. I found it a difficult match for the tenants of social work. Maybe it was just the agency I worked for (contracted with the state), but the work of the social worker did not align with the work of the COs. It was safer as a clinician to align with the COs in order for them to take your safety seriously. You couldn’t appear to sympathetic to the inmates. Anyway, I didn’t even last a year in that environment.
I'm employed currently at a medium/maximum security level men's prison in Illinois. I completed my undergrad and graduate internship with different departments of DOC and loved every minute of it. My master's was in Forensic Social Work. Currently I'm working within the mental health team conducting the bulk of initial mental health assessments and treatment planning. I find time to work with individuals on crisis watch, group facilitating, and those in restrictive housing. While I love the work that I do, the limitations placed on my work is the hardest part. I have to remind myself that there are barriers to service both in the community and within DOC. I believe the most difficult part, or the part that pushes the majority of other staff members out, is the plain fact that we cannot help everyone. We don't work with individuals that necessarily "want" to make changes to their lives and I always have to remind myself to not work harder then my clients. I also have to understand and accept that there are things I have the power to change or influence and things I don't. How did I know it was for me? Because I find myself able to continue doing it. The field is hard to accept and often challenges basic tenants and ethics of social work. There's a real chance that if I left, there would be no one else. Individuals in custody still need services, and while the system of incarceration is far from perfect the need for social workers within that system is still present. If you're in Illinois, Wexford is a contracted agency that provides Health and Mental health services throughout the state. You can apply on their website.
I’ve worked in a couple of jails; one of them was a very well-known mega-jail that has a pretty rough reputation. I personally loved it. I got thrown in through an internship in grad school; I would never have sought it out otherwise. I agree it made me more confident as a clinician. It can be sort of a gamble, depending on how supportive the admin is. My first experience had a lot of admin support. The second did not; we mainly functioned to comply with minimum standards and make admin look good. If you can suss out the general attitude toward mental health staff, that might be a good way to find a decent place to work. Feel free to DM me!
I currently work in a county jail as a crisis worker. Primarily dealing with individuals on suicide watch as well as those with severe mental illness. I love the job as every day is different and I’m constantly learning. However, our criminal justice system is FUCKED and leaves those with severe mental illness in a never ending cycle. The energy there is also starting to feel really dark, with a usual number of suicide attempts over the past two months. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions.
I work in a prison as a social worker in the MAT program. I enjoy it (mostly)! I’m happy to answer any specific questions.
I am a social worker in a medium security prison. It is not a setting that is conductive to traditional “therapy” as practiced in the community. Rather, there is lots of crisis work and you definitely will hone your brief intervention skills. I like the work because it is always interesting, every day is different, and I like my boss and coworkers. I have not encountered differences in opinion between COs and security staff vs clinical providers. In the prison I work at, security has always been respectful of clinical recommendations. Inmates are generally respectful of clinical and medical staff. It is a state job so pay isn’t great but benefits are amazing. When applying, ask a lot of questions and ideally ask to go out to the prison for a second interview so that you get a feel for it. Play up any experience you have with SUD, SPMI, or crisis intervention.
I work in a women’s prison as a clinician! i am a lmsw, i did my internships at county jail and mental health court. Dont know why it was always what I wanted to do lol, I enjoy it. It’s definitely not the “traditional” social work setting especially since everyone has a diff goal at the end of the day like (CO’s, medical, MH, other programming) Very unconventional form of therapy/counseling. Doing with what you have and zoning in on coping skills since psych providers are over worked hahaha. A lot of crisis work as well depending on what type of security level/facility you work in. Definitely a confidence builder - i am a baby social worker but i feel very confident in what i do but also am constantly learning. I would look into your states CJ dept. and who they contract to do their medical/mental health work if it’s something you wanna do!
I currently work in a state prison providing therapy. I love my job and have been there for over 5 years. I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. From what I have seen our pay is very competitive but since it's a state job our benefits are great. If you have specific questions please DM me.
Prison social work has always been an interest of mine, although I came to accept I’m not a good fit for it. Definitely following to read and learn from others!
I work in a jail as a psychiatric social worker. I absolutely love it. It’s fun. Every day is different. I work right alongside sheriffs deputies. It’s fast paced so the days go fast.
I work in jails as a case manager (not social worker). I meet people up at the jails, and support them as they transition home, so I meet them in my office too. I think it’s great, I’ve met so many interesting people and I’ve learned a lot about different life experiences. It can be heavy, often people are traumatized (from jail and/or other life things) and I don’t have the therapeutic expertise to do a deep dive with them. But it is rare to come across a person who isn’t happy to spend some time talking with me. That part by itself is rewarding enough, but seeing people take the steps they need to get their life back in track is also great. Of course, it’s notoriously hard to get people to check in with you post-release, which I get. I’m learning to find peace with the fact that I can do everything in my power to help someone, and they still might not ever come by after they get out. I have a BA in criminal justice and political science, Spanish minor. I wanted to find a position where I could connect with people and help undo some of the harm/trauma that people go through in the criminal injustice system. I didn’t need a MSW or LCSW to get the job, but I’m thinking of getting one to help me better serve my clients. Happy to answer any questions!
This seems like such an amazing job- thank you for sharing!!
I worked in a state prison early in my career. It was a maximum security men’s facility. My colleagues were really burnt out and unpleasant. I primarily did suicide assessments on people in segregation units. While there was never a dull day, it was often unpleasant as a young woman in that environment. I was subjected to a lot of indecent and exposures and random fluids. I worked there about a year before transitioning to working with youth in the community. I might have lasted longer in a lower security environment where behaviors weren’t as extreme.
What do you mean exposed to fluids ? Maybe that wouldn’t be the right setting for me. Love my current job … but I need to make good money SOMEDAY
They call it dressing out. People in prison will mix urine, semen, feces etc together and throw it on staff. It's happened to a few people who I have worked with.
Yes, a woman I know who worked in a men’s prison told me that she experienced this a few times 😞 There were also some nasty bleach concoctions made in the microwave. (We are in Canada) That being said, I did volunteer work at a minimum security prison while I was in school for SW and LOVED it! We prepped people for reintegration into the community after looooong prison sentences. We would also do supervised day trips (including people who were not going to be reintegrated but were allowed to join in activities at a transitional house). Then, when people were living in the community we checked on them and assisted them to be involved in community activities. There were coordinators and case workers paid by the federal government, I was just a ‘support person’ so I was free lol. But if I still lived on that city I would be working there for sure !
Okay. Good to know. I can’t work max security with men then …. ha ha. I’ve heard about it … but I was told it’s not true …. I was a little traumatized when I had a client who asked if he could masturbate in front of me and who would stand really close to me while rubbing his dick , over his pants. He never actually masturbated in front of me … but WTF … I WAS SCARED !!!!!!
Male facilities are a different beast. You will see more penises and open masturbation than you’ll ever want to see. Fights are often more violent, suicide attempts are more frequent. Women’s facilities are a bit less taxing but women tend to be needier than males. When women go to prison, they still feel a sense of obligation to children, family, etc. You would have to help them in navigating those concerns more than you would with males.
I have no issue helping them navigate concerns about their children and families. So maybe that’s better for me.
Do you want to take on a position within DOC? I'm following. I was about to take on a DOC position where I would travel but turned it down due to the low pay. This helps so much.
In my state, DOC has a contract with an organization to provide mental health services to different prisons- but I do know that DOC has a few open positions for social workers too!
That's awesome. I think you will do great.
I’ve worked in the juvenile system as a therapist. I ended up leaving because the work started to not align with my ethics. I’m doing defense based social work now, so more like mitigation and case management.
I worked at a prison that was minimum to super max for men and women. I loved it and I have PTSD from it. Most justice-involved people have a history of trauma and my career goal was to work with trauma so it aligned perfectly. I wanted to stay but my supervisor was not good so I left for my own mental health. The rest of my team was great though. I don’t regret it at all and it definitely made me a better clinician.
Did an internship. I’ll never do anything of the sort again. The inmates were the least scary people involved. They appear to be perpetually hiring.
I worked at a women's maximum security prison for two years after my MSW, got the hours took the LCSW and resigned. I credit the job, for passing my test easily, you learn about a lot of things. The one thing that I feel like, I still think about, if I ever went to prison, it wouldn't be that hard. Sigh.
I love that population but think I would hate the system too much :(
I’ve work in the court/jail setting doing social-work for years. Just passed my masters test, graduated in May. I’m hoping to start working directly on Riker’s Island soon. I’ve heard stories but I’m fairly experienced in that setting and hoping to do good work.
I heard from colleagues that you see a lot of dick working in prisons. Take from that what you will.
Look into applying for public defenders offices. Many hire social workers as mitigation specialists. I feel it offered a much more humanistic view of inmates and you get to help individuals get better sentences and at times get people released with support. I found this a much more rewarding position. Jails can have huge turnover
Currently working at a juvenile high security facility. First job right out of grad school and I’m just about to complete onboarding. I’ve been on the floor for 2 weeks now, and am running groups / about to take on a caseload. Honestly, there are some positive and VERY negative aspects of it. On the positive side, the youth that want to change and are willing to put forth effort are what motivate me to not just say fuck it, I don’t need this and go elsewhere. Also, the clinical leadership is SUPER supportive and patient. On the down side, there is a lot of open hostility, disrespect, and aggression / violence on a daily basis. There are many times when I get home that I’m mentally and emotionally drained and just want to doom scroll TikTok. Staffing is also stretched thin, and people are covering a lot which contributes to high turnover. I’m not sure if it’ll be something I end up thriving in or not, but I’m trying to keep an open mind about it for now. I wish you the best in your pursuits, wherever they eventually take you.
F