Vermont Correctional Academy | Department of Corrections

Welcome to the Vermont Correctional Academy Home Page

The Vermont Correctional Academy was first established in the Fall of 1993 with the first class graduating on October 1 of that year. Our current basic training program is 6 weeks long where trainees learn the core skill sets of a correction professional. Before attending the Academy, they observe the duties and role of a correctional officer on-site at the trainee's local correctional facility. After graduation, the new correctional officer participates in eighty hours of on-site training supervised by staff at their new facility.

Our Mission

In conjunction with the Department’s Vision, Mission, and Values, the Vermont Correctional Academy is vital to the Department’s statutory mandate to establish training programs for new employees, and to establish such in-service training programs as deemed advisable for the professional development of Department of Corrections staff.

We as an Academy are responsible for developing a training curriculum that will produce trained professional and competent staff that will foster success throughout the Department, enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of experienced staff and maintain a high standard of professionalism. To maintain this standard, the Academy is dedicated to the development of curriculum based on accountability and equity by seeing potential and supporting change and staff wellness through our furnished instructors. Academy curriculum is regularly reviewed, updated, and revised to meet the needs of today’s corrections professional.

The Vermont Correctional Officer’s Oath

I, (the officer's name),
acknowledge this oath and the badge of my profession
as symbols of the public trust in my ability and commitment
to provide for the public safety as a professional correctional officer.
I agree to maintain the highest ethical standards
and serve the Vermont Department of Corrections to the best of my ability.
I freely accept this responsibility
and swear to uphold the humanitarian and legal principles
of the corrections profession throughout my career.