Advice

Advice
Location: FL

I 19F was employed for DOC from 11/2024-07/2025. I started the academy and roughly 3 weeks in, unbeknownst to me im under investigation. (I dont know this because we are encouraged not to work weekends and focus on our academy work). I started talking about going to a different facility so i could hopefully grow and be a better correctional officer

(the institution i worked at the time did not do things by the book. For example; Inmates gunning female officers usually got a slap on the wrist and if your lucky they get moved to another dorm that shift.)

I enter class one morning and we start intro to corrections. Roughly 1-2 hours into class i am called down to my facility. Im brought to the meeting room with the investigator and was handed a decision. To keep denying the evidence they had and they would press charges (3rd degree felony) or i can accept full responsibility and resign peacefully.

(they didnt present any evidence, just told me about some things they found that were linked to me like a letter about bringing in a cell phone).

Im a 19 year old college student, i know for certain i did not write a letter to an inmate or anything about a cell phone at all!! However, i was scared of charges and ruining my progress with school so i resigned. Ive only been in trouble with law enforcement when i was 11-12 years old. I was always a straight A student and this was the most money ive EVER made. PLUS i quite liked my job, i was always arriving early to help with shift change pats, had no issues staying over or switching dorms if there was a staff shortage.

This institution also did my mom dirty in a way. The Warden told her to sign off on stuff for him and she did, she told him she was not comfortable with it and she would prefer that he signed off but he kept refusing. (she worked admin if thats not obvious). The warden ends up getting caught up because of the paper work and sits down with my mom about “forging signatures” so she resigns years before i start working there (she did not tell me about this incident until this happened to me)

Anyways, i tried applying for another states DOC but both institutions turned me down for “resigning under investigation”. So i have a lot of unanswered questions…

What are the limitations for this category thats on my file?

Does this stick to me forever?

Does this mean i can never work corrections again regardless of how long or what state im in?

Does this prevent me from working DJJ as well?

How do some officers get fired and come back a couple months to years later as an officer or even admin?

Will this affect my future career choice? (in college for forensic science currently)

Maybe this is all obvious but in my mind there is so much grey area. I would love to go back to DOC, sure the drama bothered me but i graduated highschool and all DOC drama i have heard about was similar to highschool drama so it didn’t phase me much.

Please don’t comment anything hostile/rude. I practically live in shame for this situation because its hard to find a job making decent money that you ACTUALLY enjoy. When i tell someone what happened I usually get weird glances as if they do not believe me so i have came to reddit as my last course of action. Im still unemployed, struggling with rent, phone and car bills, and college. I have applied to 73 jobs since resigning corrections and i have only heard back from maybe 5 of them. (2 of them being the institutions from another state that interviewed me and rejected me, 3 for different job fields but still rejected my application).

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Ive had several people on other posts automatically suggesting that i was a dirty officer or i got caught sleeping with an inmate. it was in regards to a cell phone and a letter.

Nothing about inmate relations. Although since I started that was something that was being thrown my way, when I spoke to my Sgt and LT about it they said that it was because i was young and all people do is run their mouth, just to ignore it.

I know I had no reason to resign like that. I did not do it out of a guilty conscience but fear of what would happen. They drilled to me that they had all this evidence perfectly pinned against me and I was just shocked. Shocked in a “what the fuck is going on??” manner, not “oh fuck i got caught”.

Like i said, and you dont have to believe me. I loved my job, I loved the shift I worked with. Most money I could make as a 19 Year Old with Arthritis, i wouldnt jeopardize my position in return for a pen pal.