Bailiff

What is a Bailiff?

Duties

The duties of a Bailiff include the following responsibilities:

• Making use of sound judgment to decide on the best course of action to solve disruptive problems in court.
• Obtaining relevant information for use at court hearings and place them in the correct sequence.
• Making key announcements on the procedures of the court room and notify attendees of the rules applied to court, while responding to those in violation.

Day In The Life

The main duty of a bailiff on a day to day basis is to maintain a safe and secure environment for the court and all those involved, which includes the defendant, jurors and especially the judge. To this end, he or she has to be familiar with the procedural guidelines that are related to a courtroom and smoothly execute the orders of the judge. If the judge requires someone to be taken away from the courtroom, you are to enforce that by removing the person from the room without any disruptions, and using restraints if they are uncooperative.

In this role you are also in charge of making certain that the public do not have contact with the jurors, and escorting the jury when they are moving from the courtroom to another place. It is up to the bailiff to uphold law and order while proceedings take place, and give over any evidence in a secure fashion. Other duties that arise include the job of swearing in all witnesses, safely storing sensitive information, files and paperwork that the judge may need.

Work Schedule

As a bailiff, you may have to work around eight hours per day, for five days a week on rotating shifts. Depending on when court cases are scheduled, you may be called to duty at irregular hours of the day and night, weekends and holidays. Many officers are required to work overtime. Bailiffs’ hours are determined by when court is in session.

As a bailiff you will spend long shifts stationed either inside or outside the court to maintain safety for all present. Typically, the courtroom is where a bailiff has to perform duties, but they may also be assigned to the public sector, where the job includes escorting jurors or function as their security when assigned.

Growth Of The Job

Many qualified court bailiffs eventually get promoted to the position of correctional sergeant, once they have worked in the field for a few years and have established their reputation. In such positions, the responsibilities would be similar where maintaining security and directing the work of other officers are the primary tasks. Some also advance to related positions in a more managerial or administrative capacity, including as warden, probation officers, etc. As reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in this field will grow by five percent between the decade 2014-2024. The growth in job prospects will be the result of a booming population and from a need to replace older workers that choose to retire or those who leave.

Typical Employers

Bailiffs are hired by all levels of the judiciary, to take part in providing security services at official gatherings. Individuals that aspire to work in a challenging job area such as law enforcement and experience judicial proceedings live, will find success when working as a court bailiff.