Correctional Treatment Specialist (Specialty Treatment Program Specialist - Advanced Care Level)

Summary

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

Summary

Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities.

Overview

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Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

10 / 20 / 2025 to 11 / 03 / 2025

Salary $73,939 to - $96,116 per year Pay scale & grade GS 11

Location

Springfield, MO

1 vacancy

Remote job No Telework eligible No Travel Required Occasional travel - Travel may be required for training and / or work related issues. Relocation expenses reimbursed No Appointment type Permanent Work schedule Full-time Service Competitive

Promotion potential

11

Job family (Series)

• 0101 Social Science

Supervisory status No Security clearance Other Drug test Yes Bargaining unit status No

Announcement number SPG-2026-0014 Control number 848485100

This job is open to

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The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

Duties

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Functions as a Specialty Treatment Program Specialist within a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Federal Correctional Facility.

Provides group and individual counseling to inmates with the psychological problems targeted by the specialty program. Advanced Care Level Treatment Program : inmates suffering from serious mental illnesses which adversely impact their ability to function in a general population setting and / or their opportunity for successful reentry.

Provides program orientation lectures to inmates as a part of the institution's Admissions and Orientation Program.

Administers questionnaires and conducts interviews to obtain information about inmates.

Reads inmate file records to extract information relevant to treatment.

Identifies deficiencies and excesses in inmates' patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior and recommends or devises steps to remediate them.

Learns and applies new assessment and treatment techniques for helping inmates overcome psychological problems.

Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staffs correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP) : These programs apply to Federal and / or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must :

NOTE : Applicants claiming CTAP / ICTAP eligibility must complete all assessment questions to be rated under the established category rating criteria.

Qualifications

To be considered for the position, you must meet the following qualification requirements.

Basic Requirements :

A. Degree - that included at least 24 semester hours of course work in the behavioral or social sciences.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience - that included at least 24 semester hours of course work in the behavioral or social sciences, and that provided applicants with knowledge of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a 4-year degree as shown in A above.

Evaluation of Education : Courses, such as sociology, correctional administration, criminal justice, government / political science, psychology, social work, counseling, and other related social or behavioral science courses may be used to satisfy the 24-semester-hour requirement.

Evaluation of Experience : Experience must have been gained in (1) casework in a correctional institution or in another criminal justice setting; (2) counseling in any setting, provided it required diagnostic or treatment planning skills to achieve specific social or occupational goals; or (3) work treating persons in need of social rehabilitation.

AND

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must have :

Education :

Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree PH.D. or equivalent graduate degree.

Graduate Education must have been in corrections or a related field, such as criminal justice, sociology, psychology, counseling, social work, or other course work related to the position.

OR

Experience :

You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular qualifications to successfully perform the duties of the position, and must typically be in or related to the position to be filled.

Some examples of this qualifying experience are :

OR

Combination of Education and Experience :

Combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience. This experience must have equipped you with the qualifications to perform the major duties of this position as described above.

If applicable, credit will be given for paid and unpaid experience. To receive proper credit, you must show the actual time (such as number of hours worked per week) spent in the activities.

Your eligibility for consideration will be based on your responses to the questions in the application.

Education

See Qualifications Section for education requirements, if applicable.

ONLY if education is a requirement / substitution for specialized experience, applicant MUST upload legible transcripts as verification of educational requirement. Transcripts MUST be uploaded and electronically linked from USAJOBS at the time you apply and MUST include identifying information to include School Name, Student Name, Degree and Date Awarded (if applicable). All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, Click Here.

Foreign Education : For information regarding foreign education requirements, please see Foreign Diploma and Credit Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education website : Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

If you are selected for this position and qualified based on education (i.e. basic education requirement and / or substitution of education), you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty.

Additional information

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3307, a maximum entry age of 36 has been established for initial appointment to a position in a Bureau of Prisons institution. If you are above the maximum entry age and have prior federal law enforcement coverage, you MUST submit an SF-50 to verify prior coverage.

Qualified Preference Eligible Veterans may be exempt from meeting the maximum age. Please refer to the Required Documents Section for the appropriate documentation to submit to validate veteran eligibility.

Special Conditions of Employment Section :

Appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a pre-employment and panel interview, urinalysis, physical, and background investigation.

All applicants are subject to, and must satisfactorily pass all screening requirements in relation to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and credit check.

All applicants not currently working in an institution will be required to complete a qualification inquiry regarding convictions of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence in order to be authorized to carry a firearm.

The Core Value Assessment (CVA) is an in-person assessment that must be facilitated at a Bureau of Prisons Human Resource Servicing office. On the day of the scheduled interview, a CVA will be administered. The applicant assessment must be completed within a 70 minute time period and a passing score of 68 must be obtained. Further employment consideration will not be extended if the applicant fails to complete the examination or fails to achieve a passing score. Note : The Core Value Assessment will not be administered to current BOP employees.

Successful completion of the "Introduction to Correctional Techniques", three-week training course at Glynco, Georgia is required.

Additional selections may be made if vacancies occur within the life of the certificate.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider :

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Exceptions may apply. See 5 CFR part 11.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Based upon your responses to the assessment questions during the application process, your application will be placed into one of three categories : Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Applications will be reviewed from the top quality category. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If you are found qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to the responses you provided on the online assessment.

NOTE : Candidates within the top quality category and who are eligible for veterans preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.

If you are entitled to veterans preference, you should indicate the type of veterans preference you are claiming on your resume. Although veterans preference points are not assigned under the category rating procedures described under "How You Will Be Evaluated", veterans preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-veterans within each category for which they are qualified.

In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest qualified category as defined by category rating procedures.

What Competencies / Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are Required for this Position?

The following Competencies / Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) are required :

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Benefits

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Required documents

Required Documents

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Failure to provide legible required documents and / or follow the prescribed format often results in removal from consideration. If uploading documentation, do not identify / save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc. Documentation should be identified / saved as VA Letter, DD-214, or Transcripts.

For more help, visit USAJOBS Help Center - What should I include in my resume?

We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software, delays in mail service, applicant application errors, etc.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements :

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and / or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.