Williams has an extensive 28 year career in Corrections. He began as a Correctional Officer in 1975 at the Marion Correctional Institution in Marion, Ohio. While at Marion he was promoted to Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and Unit Manager. He served at the Grafton Correctional Institution as Deputy Warden of Security from 1987 to 1991. For the next five years he served as the Deputy Warden of Security at Mansfield Correctional Institution, a 2300 bed maximum security prison. Williams returned to Grafton in 1996 as the Deputy Warden of Security until his retirement in 2003.
While serving in Marion, Ohio, Williams was a certified PR-24 baton instructor and during his time in Grafton, he was a member of the Construction Team which was an oversight committee for all new construction projects.