Reitz-Backed Legislation Creating Correctional Officer Internships, Veteran Job Opportunities Now Law

RED BUD, Ill. – State Rep. Nathan Reitz, D-Steeleville, is backing a new law which will create an internship program for training new correctional officers as well as grow job opportunities for veterans entering the profession.

“Our correctional facilities need high quality workers to staff them, and our veterans need good jobs to help them build a new life once they have returned from duty,” Reitz said. “We are helping build skills for guards at our prisons and jails, including the correctional facility at Menard, as well as creating employment opportunities for the brave men and women who most deserve them.”

Reitz backed Senate Bill 2148, which establishes the Correctional Officer Intern Program to train new recruits to be correctional officers. The legislation also requires correctional officer and law enforcement training programs to give preference to people who have served in the U.S. military. It received strong bipartisan support and is now law.

“The veterans who have risked their lives to serve our country should have plenty of prospects for good careers when they get home,” Reitz said. “A steady job is the foundation of a stable life, and that opportunity is the least we can give them.”