Audit: Staff shortages, failure to track assaults contribute to danger in Minnesota prisons
Staff shortages in Minnesota prisons are driving a glut in overtime hours for correctional officers, making the facilities more dangerous, while corrections officials have failed to properly track assaults — and they don’t know just how unsafe their facilities are for prisoners and staff.
A couple of weeks ago I was at a retirement at my former haunt, the Hennepin County Jail. I was told of massive overtime and even housing units on lock-down all weekend due to lack of staff.
Overtime is at a high.
Reality is working as a Detention Deputy or CO is a good job. Good pay, benefits and even a pension. The job is dangerous, but if you are professional you will never be let go and will have fewer problems with the clientele.
Retention becomes a problem when staff is short. Excessive overtime leads to burnout. Albeit there will be a nice paycheck.
The conundrum is public employee pay rarely keeps up with the private sector. So when the economy is good like now few people want to work in a jail,(I wouldn't work that crap job. Is a comment I used to hear), but when the economy is bad, people are jealous of the pay and benefits.
Oddly this may be the best time to get into this career. The economy goes up and down but Corrections is a long term steady job. Not for everyone, you won't get rich but you will have a good middle class income.
No comments:
Post a Comment