MD Correctional Officer cheat sheet

Main idea = what the passage is mostly about; it must cover the whole passage, not one detail.

Supporting detail questions are answered by locating the exact sentence; wrong choices are true statements not stated in the passage.

Inference means a conclusion logically required by the text, not a guess and not merely plausible.

Sequence questions: track signal words (before, after, then, while, by the time) to order events.

Vocabulary in context: substitute each choice into the sentence and keep the one that preserves the passage's meaning.

Tone and purpose questions ask why the author wrote (to inform, persuade, instruct, warn) or the author's attitude.

Words such as all, never, always, only, and must signal overstatement; qualified choices (some, often, may) are usually safer.

Correctional writing uses active voice, plain wording, third person, past tense for events, and chronological order.

Standard incident report order: who, what, when, where, how, why, then actions taken and disposition.

Record facts observable and verifiable; label opinions, hearsay, and rumor as such or omit them.

Quote statements verbatim in quotation marks; do not paraphrase a person's words as if they were your own.

Identify each person by full name, role, and ID number on first mention; use last name plus title thereafter.

Use 24-hour time (e.g., 1430 hours) and exact dates; avoid vague terms such as 'later' or 'a while ago'.

Report objective description, not labels: 'inmate struck the door with his fist' rather than 'inmate was angry'.

Note evidence handling: item description, where found, who collected it, chain-of-custody entry.

Never alter, backdate, or destroy a report; corrections are made by dated, initialed addendum.

Subject-verb agreement: singular subject takes singular verb; ignore interrupting phrases (the officer, along with two inmates, was...).

Collective nouns (staff, crew, team) take a singular verb when acting as one unit.

Pronoun case: subject pronouns (I, he, they) for subjects; object pronouns (me, him, them) after prepositions and verbs.

Its = possessive; it's = it is. Their = possessive; there = place; they're = they are.

Comma splice: two independent clauses need a period, semicolon, or comma plus conjunction.

Avoid double negatives (didn't see no one) and dangling modifiers (walking the tier, the door was locked).

Common misspellings in this field: judgment, occurrence, harassment, maintenance, privilege, separate, receive, necessary, accommodate.

Numbers: spell out one through nine in narrative text and use numerals for 10 and above, times, dates, and measurements, unless agency style says otherwise.

Priority order in a correctional setting: life safety, then security and containment, then property, then administrative follow-up.

De-escalation sequence: calm verbal approach, reduce audience and stimulation, offer limited legitimate choices, then escalate only as policy allows.

Never make threats you cannot or will not carry out; inconsistent consequences undermine authority.

Report a colleague's misconduct through the chain of command; silence makes you complicit.

Refuse to accept gifts, favors, or money from inmates or their families regardless of intent or value.

Active listening: reflect the speaker's content and feeling, ask open questions, confirm understanding before acting.

Separate the person from the behavior when correcting staff or inmates; describe the act and its impact.

When orders conflict, follow the lawful order and document the conflict for a supervisor afterward.

Percent change = (new - old) / old x 100; a decrease gives a negative result.

Rate = count / time; to compare rates, convert to a common unit (per day, per 100 inmates).

Average (mean) = sum of values / number of values; median is the middle value when ordered.

Ratio to percent: divide the first term by the second and multiply by 100 (3:4 = 75%).

Proportion setup: part/whole = percent/100; cross-multiply to solve for the unknown.

Rounding: identify the place value, then round up only if the next digit is 5 or more.

On tables and charts, read the axis labels and units first; a truncated y-axis exaggerates change.

Reasoning items: test each option against every stated condition; eliminate choices that violate even one rule.

Describe people top to bottom: height, build, hair, face, marks, clothing, footwear.

Record identifiers immediately; memory for numbers, times, and names decays fastest.

Compare documents side by side for transposed digits, mismatched dates, and inconsistent names.

Count and verify: recount head counts, tools, keys, and controlled items at each shift change.

Note baseline conditions so changes stand out: door position, lighting, noise level, occupancy.

Perception errors to guard against: expectancy (seeing what you expect), halo effect, and first-impression bias.

Write observations in the same shift when possible; note the time of observation, not the time of writing.

Distinguish what you saw from what you were told or inferred, and label each source.

Key and tool control: sign out, count, and secure; an unaccounted key is a security incident, not a clerical error.

Contraband is any item not authorized for the inmate or the area; search authority follows agency policy and law.

Pat-down searches proceed systematically and are same-gender where required by policy.

Count procedures: count live bodies, not forms or bunks; report an inaccurate count immediately.

Positional asphyxia risk: never apply pressure to the neck or chest, and never leave a restrained person face-down and unattended.

Use-of-force rules: only the force necessary, only when authorized, and always followed by medical evaluation and documentation.

Report any threat, escape indicator, or unusual behavior through the chain of command immediately.

Boundaries: no personal relationships, no personal phone contact, and no sharing of personal information with inmates.

Accepting a gratuity creates a debt and an obligation; the rule is no gifts of any value from inmates or families.

Overfamiliarity is a precursor to manipulation; keep conversation professional and observable.

Truthfulness in reports is non-negotiable; a false statement ends a career faster than the underlying error.

Confidentiality: inmate and personnel information is shared only on a need-to-know basis.

Report known or suspected misconduct, including your own errors, before someone else does.

Off-duty conduct still reflects on the agency; follow policy on social media, alcohol, and firearms.

Conflicts of interest: disclose any personal connection to an inmate, victim, or witness and request reassignment.

When in doubt, ask a supervisor in writing and keep the record; a documented question is not misconduct.