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Boston Career Explorer

Protective Service

First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of correctional officers and jailers.

Also called: Correctional Officer Captain, Correctional Supervisor

Median pay in Greater Boston
$105,930
$50.93/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
320
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+1.5%
30 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
Less than 5 years of related work experience

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$81,230$95,500$105,930$114,430$126,350

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Take, receive, or check periodic inmate counts.
  • Maintain order, discipline, and security within assigned areas in accordance with relevant rules, regulations, policies, and laws.
  • Maintain knowledge of, comply with, and enforce all institutional policies, rules, procedures, and regulations.
  • Respond to emergencies, such as escapes.
  • Supervise and direct the work of correctional officers to ensure the safe custody, discipline, and welfare of inmates.
  • Supervise or perform searches of inmates or their quarters to locate contraband items.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure38 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 31
  • Language-model AIOE 36
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 48

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is moderate, and some observed AI use exists. AI tools could help with counts, records, and policy lookups. Supervising officers, keeping order, and responding to emergencies like escapes depend on people making fast judgment calls.

Likely to change

  • Inmate counts and record checks
  • Looking up policies and procedures

Still relies on people

  • Directing and supporting correctional officers
  • Responding to emergencies and keeping order

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

15 programs near Boston (plus 5 graduate)

Related occupations

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