By C1 Staff
CHYENNE, Wyo. — Despite recruitment and retention bonuses, many states in the US are finding it difficult to staff their correctional institutions.
NPR reports that Wyoming, Michigan, Kansas, Texas, and other states are facing a shortfall of 20 percent or more, mostly due to the job’s social stigma.
Lt. Aaron Blair of the Wyoming Department of Corrections says that most cadets see the job as a stepping stone to a police or sheriff’s department, or just as a job, and not a career.
“Law enforcement on the street, they get far more interaction with the good part of society. We know, going in those gates every day, we’re dealing with convicted felons. It can wear on a person, become very dark,” he said.
Though officers do far more than simply babysit inmates, Blair says that most trainees see the infamous prions guard villain from the movie Cool Hand Luke.
“The guy with the sunglasses, holding the shotgun – a knuckle-dragger, I guess.”
He says pay raises would make the field more competitive. Currently the average starting wage is $15 an hour.
Most states have many currently employed officers working overtime, which is dangerous.
“They’re not meant to not have days off, they’re not meant to work extraordinarily long shifts,” said Leann Bertsch with the Association of State Correctional Administrators. “That creates dangerous situations.”
Safety isn’t the only thing lost when prisons run short on manpower.
“They feed the prisoners, take them to the medical clinic, take them to the recreation yard. So if you don’t have enough officers, every aspect of prison operation breaks down,” said David Fathi, director of the ACLU’s National Prison Project.