A third of new officers were female, striving for 30×30 pledge
The graduation ceremony for Basic Correctional Officer Academy Class 3-24A was held April 19 at the Richard A. McGee Correctional Training Center in Galt.
After completing 13 weeks of intense training, the 207 graduates are poised to embark on their new careers as correctional officers.
With more than a third of the graduates being female, Class 3-24A highlighted the strides being made to achieve the “30×30” pledge. Signed by Secretary Jeffrey Macomber, the pledge’s goal is to have women make up 30 percent of correctional officer cadets by 2030.
(Read the October 2023 story about the 30×30 initiative.)
Sierra Conservation Center acting Warden Joshua Prudhel delivered the keynote address. He emphasized the importance of integrity, discipline, and empathy when working in the demanding field of corrections. Prudhel began his CDCR career as a correctional officer more than 20 years ago at San Quentin.
Friends, family members, and field training sergeants proudly attended the ceremony, showing their support for the newly minted correctional officers. They will serve institutions across the state of California.
Interested Correctional Officer applicants can apply online at JoinCDCR.com.
Submitted by Traci Skinner
Photos by Sgt. Eric Rangel
In photos: Congratulations to the 207 new correctional officers





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