After being sprayed with pepper spray, Recruit B. Bush goes through an obstacle course like gauntlet during training for a new class of orrections officers on Riker’s Island.

They face eye-searing pepper spray, high-voltage shocks, and a mob of incensed inmates grabbing for their guns – and that’s just to become one of New York’s Boldest.

Each class of recruits for the city’s Department of Correction must endure a rigorous 15-week training program that tests their will and teaches them how to handle the toughest criminals behind bars.

“The training New York City provides for correction officers is second to none,” Commissioner Dora Schriro said. “It’s a compelling blend of information and application. Our academy really does an exceptional job.”

The Daily News recently joined some of the 188 recruits during their training – a mix of classes and demonstrations that strengthen body and mind.

When they graduate, they will join the 8,600 officers working on Rikers Island and in borough jails and court pens, where the daily prisoner population ranges from 13,000 to 18,000.

Their classes are held at the department’s training facility in Middle Village, Queens, and inside jails.

Seasoned officers teach newbies how to identify drugs and contraband, how to handle mentally ill inmates – about 30% of the population – and restraint techniques.

The rookies also learn how to get rowdy inmates to comply and how to protect themselves if one turns violent.

“The last thing we do is utilize force,” said Raino Hills, warden of the DOC training academy. “It’s very important. Ninety percent of the job is mental understanding.”

Still, officers are prepared to use force if necessary.

Classes simulate the most dangerous situations inside the prison. Each recruit is doused with pepper spray, zapped with an electric shield and hit with tear gas before they graduate.

“This is about saving your life,” said Capt. Calvin Arthur, battalion commander for the training academy.

“There might be a back splash [from the pepper spray] and you need to be in control, or an inmate may use it against you. You need to stay focused.”

Even veteran officers partake in training to stay up to date on defensive strategies.

One exercise subjects officers to a noxious spray of jalapeno, Cayenne and chili peppers.

Once blinded, an officer must fight off other guards posing as inmates trying to knock him down with padded shields.

At the end, the impaired, snot-faced officer has to hold onto a fake pistol while several officers try to wrest it from his hand.

“I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” Correction Officer Bruce Boyd, a 15-year veteran, said of the scorching pain after completing the test. “The eyes, my whole face burns.”

“It’s an experience like no other,” said recruit C. Johnson, 24, who asked that her first name be withheld. “They prepare you for everything.”

The recruit class graduates March 31 at York College.

(Source: NY Daily News)