Correctional Treatment Specialist (Case Manager) - Justice, Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System

Summary Corrections professionals who foster a humane and secure environment and ensure public safety by preparing individuals for successful reentry into our communities. Our highly-skilled, diverse, and innovative workforce creates a strong foundation of safety and security. Through the principles of humanity and normalcy, we develop good neighbors. Responsibilities Independently conducts group guidance sessions of a varying nature. This counseling deals with institutional adjustment, U.S. Parole commission, release planning, and interpersonal communications, individual counseling sessions varying in methods and intensity relevant to the individual's problems. They may focus on helping the individual offender understand and live within the complex family circumstances and assist him in developing new adjustment techniques. The Case Manager helps the offender view problems objectively and to deal with them realistically. Routinely deals with community resources to secure information and develop release plans. Prepare special progress reports for such consideration as parole, transfer, restoration of forfeited good time, and makes appropriate recommendations. Corresponds with attorneys, judges, probation and parole officers and other professionals regarding the inmate's case. Prepares diagnostic studies, responsible for collecting, interpreting and evaluating factual information reflecting developmental and circumstantial factors for the assigned caseload of inmates. Acts in a liaison capacity with other units and institutional employees on matters concerning inmate behavior. Serves as the primary liaison with the U.S. Parole Commission in reporting the inmate's program progress, readiness or lack of readiness for release, and resources in the community relevant to the desirability of his release. Actively develops program planning by presenting cases to the Unit Team and coordinating case management services with other correctional disciplines. Along with all other correctional institution employees, incumbent is charged with responsibility for maintaining security of the institution. The staff correctional responsibilities precede all others required by this position and are performed on a regular and recurring basis. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship is Required. See Special Conditions of Employment Section. Selective Service Requirement: www.sss.gov Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP). The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1)this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified category using established category rating criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: Click Here The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) you are found well qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified category using established category rating criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: Click Here Qualifications To be considered for the position, you must meet the following: 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, applicants must have the following: Education: GL-07: One year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement. GL-09: Two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's 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: GL-07 and GL-09: You must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade level in federal service. To be creditable, this experience must have equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary 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: GL-07: Assist in case management services. Assist in the collection, verification, and analysis of information in the preparation of social histories reflecting the nature and extent of problematic behavior, current social problems and causative factors. Assist in writing correspondence and preparation of correspondence and responses to various sources, including Attorneys, Judges, Members of Congress, Parole Offices and others. Assist in determining inmate needs and program goals for individuals and monitoring the progress of the programs. GL-09: Experience in providing case management services to the local inmate population. Experience in the collection, verification, and analysis of information in the preparation of social histories reflecting the nature and extent of problematic behavior, current social problems and causative factors. Experience in determining inmate needs programs goals, monitoring inmate progress through development of progress reports Experience in writing correspondence and preparation of correspondence and responses to inquiries from various sources, i.e. Attorneys, Judges, Members of Congress, Parole Offices and others. OR Combination of Education and Experience: GL-07 and GL-09: Combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience. This experience must have equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities 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 the number of hours worked per week) spent in 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. Superior Academic Achievement. (S.A.A.) applicants MUST provide a transcript in order to be considered under S.A.A. In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. 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 This position IS included in the bargaining unit. 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 the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.