SOCE EXAM TOTAL

Correctional officer

Person responsible for inmate supervision, protection, care, custody, control, or investigation

Professionalism

Competence, behavior, and qualities expected from an officer

Leader

Officer role: models proper behavior, ethics, consistency, and positive influence

Enforcer

Officer role: makes inmates follow rules, commands, and policies

Progressive disciplinary process

step-by-step process used to correct inmate rule violations

Stabilizer

Officer role: stays calm, controls tense situations, and prevents escalation

Critical incident

serious event that can threaten safety, security, or order in the facility

De-escalation

Reducing the intensity of a tense situation

Emotional intelligence

Recognizing and managing your emotions and responding properly to others’ emotions

Florida Administrative Code — F.A.C.

Rules governing Florida public regulatory agencies

Florida Model Jail Standards — FMJS

Minimum standards that all local jails in Florida must follow

Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission — CJSTC

Commission overseeing Florida officer certification, training, records, employment, and conduct

Florida Department of Law Enforcement — FDLE

Florida agency that supports the CJSTC

Criminal Justice Professionalism Division

FDLE division that supports and assists the CJSTC

Basic recruit training program

CJSTC-approved training required before officer certification

High Liability courses

Required training areas where recruits must demonstrate proficiency

State Officer Certification Examination — SOCE

Exam required for Florida officer certification

Four-year certification deadline

Four years from training start date to finish certification requirements

Background investigation

Hiring agency review of moral character and employment suitability

Good moral character

required ethical standard that officers and recruits must maintain

Deny certification

To refuse to grant officer certification

Nolo contendere

Plea where a person does not admit or deny responsibility but accepts punishment

Felony

Serious criminal offense that can affect or revoke officer certification

Misdemeanor

Less serious offense; certain misdemeanors can affect officer certification

Perjury

Lying under oath

False statement

untrue statement, especially one made in an official or employment process

Withholding of adjudication

Court action where guilt may not be formally entered, but the offense can still affect officer certification

Suspension of sentence

Court action where a sentence is delayed or not imposed, but the offense can still affect certification

Principal

Person directly involved in committing a crime

Accessory

Person who helps another person commit a crime

Solicitation

Asking, encouraging, or trying to get another person to commit a crime

Conspiracy

agreement between people to commit a crime

Controlled substance

drug regulated by law

Excessive use of force

Using more force than is legally or reasonably necessary

Misuse of official position

Using official authority or resources to gain a special benefit for yourself or others

Unprofessional relationship

improper relationship between an officer and an inmate, detainee, probationer, parolee, or community controlee

Detainee

Person held in custody, often before trial or final case disposition

Probationer

Person placed under supervision in the community by court order

Parolee

Person conditionally released from a correctional institution before completing their sentence

Community controlee

Person placed under community control, also known as house arrest

Sexual misconduct

Prohibited sexual behavior, including sexual behavior while on duty or improper sexual behavior involving inmates

Subvert the SOCE process

To cheat, interfere with, or improperly affect the State Officer Certification Examination process

Penalty guidelines

Guidelines used by the CJSTC to decide discipline for officer misconduct

Written reprimand

formal written disciplinary warning

Mandatory retraining

Required training ordered as part of discipline

Suspension

CJSTC penalty that temporarily removes certification authority for up to two years

Revocation of certification

Permanent removal of officer certification, meaning the officer can no longer work as a certified officer in Florida

Criminal justice system

system that maintains and enforces criminal laws and manages crime and criminal offenders

Ordinance

written law passed by a city or county government

Jurisdiction

power of a court to decide a case or the authority over a geographic area

Court of general jurisdiction

court that hears many types of civil or criminal cases

Court of limited jurisdiction

court that hears only limited types of cases

Constitutional precedent

rule created by a court decision that lower courts must follow in similar constitutional matters

Community-based correctional system

Correctional supervision that happens in the community instead of inside a jail or prison

Florida Department of Corrections — FDC

department responsible for administering state prisons and state probation in Florida

Chain of command

order of authority within an organization

Insubordination

Intentional refusal to follow lawful orders from supervisors in the chain of command

Ethical decision-making

Choosing actions based on right and wrong, law, policy, and fairness

Duty to intervene

responsibility to act when another officer commits an offense, abuses an inmate, or acts unethically

Liability

Legal responsibility for actions or failures to act

Bribery

Giving or accepting something of value to influence professional conduct or decisions

Misuse of confidential information

Wrongfully using or sharing private information learned through official duties

Privileged communication

Protected confidential communication, such as certain legal communication

Conflict of interest

situation where a person may personally benefit from decisions made in their official role

Gratuity

Anything of value intended to benefit the giver more than the receiver

Sexual misconduct while on duty

Prohibited sexual behavior while working

Hostile work environment

workplace made difficult or uncomfortable because of harassing behavior

Quid pro quo

“Something for something,” such as demanding sexual favors in exchange for job benefits

Sexual harassment

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — EEOC

federal agency that enforces compliance with the Civil Rights Act, Title VII

Official misconduct

Improper or illegal conduct by a public official

Prison Rape Elimination Act — PREA

federal law that addresses sexual abuse and rape in correctional facilities

Bias

Unfair treatment or attitude toward a group of people

Impartiality

Making decisions fairly without favoritism or bias

Explicit bias

bias a person is aware of and may openly show

Implicit bias

Unconscious beliefs about groups of people that can affect decisions without the person realizing it

Stereotyping

Judging a group of people based on opinions or experiences rather than individual facts

Prejudice

unjustified and baseless attitude toward a person because of membership in a social group

Discrimination

Acting on prejudice

Equal protection under the law

constitutional right to be treated the same under similar circumstances by the government

Procedural justice

Making decisions and following processes in a fair and equitable way in the criminal justice setting

Fairness and consistency of rule application

pillar of procedural justice requiring consistent and respectful rule enforcement

LEED framework

procedural justice tool: Listen, Explain, Equity, and Dignity

Shiftwork

Working shifts to provide constant inmate care and supervision

Rotating shifts

Work schedules that change between days, evenings, nights, weekends, or holidays

Dependency

Relying on a substance to function or sleep

Acute stress

Short-lived stress caused by unexpected changes

Traumatic stress

Stress caused by events that make a person feel their safety or others’ safety is in danger

Post-traumatic stress disorder — PTSD

pattern of biological stress responses that may develop after one or more stressful events

Hypervigilance

constant feeling of being on guard that makes it hard to relax

Flashbacks

Re-experiencing a traumatic event as if it is happening again

Intrusive thoughts

Unwanted thoughts or memories that come into a person’s mind

Coping mechanism

behavior used to deal with stress or emotional pain

Behavioral health

Mental and emotional well-being, including coping with stress and maintaining healthy behavior

Resilience

Ability to cope effectively with stress, trauma, and serious problems

Suicidal ideation

Thoughts about ending one’s own life

Immediate intervention

Quick action required when a person has a suicide plan and has started taking steps

Secondary trauma

Physical or mental effects caused by exposure to the trauma of others

Vicarious trauma

Also called secondary trauma

Compassion fatigue

Emotional exhaustion that comes from helping others over a long time