Summary of Report 01-019

February 2001

Report Number 01-019

The Department of Criminal Justice's (Department) correctional officer shortage continues to grow. The number of correctional officer vacancies increased from 1,252 at the end of fiscal year 1999 to 2,292 at the end of fiscal year 2000. As this shortage continues to grow, the Department may have difficulty ensuring the safety of staff members and inmates.

The Department has recruited record numbers of new correctional officers, but it should do more to retain its trained, experienced officers. Correctional officer turnover for fiscal year 2000 was almost 23 percent. Between these staff losses and the jobs created for new units, the Department's vacancies increased from 2,292 at the end of fiscal year 2000 to 2,595 as of December 31, 2000.

• The Department's shortage of correctional officers is increasing. The number of new hires cannot meet the demand created by increased attrition, the addition of new positions, and correctional officers transferring to other positions. As a result of the shortage, the Department has reduced program operations, relied on overtime to fill the most critical positions, and decreased in-service training hours. If this situation continues, it may affect the continued safety of staff members and inmates.
• Injuries to correctional officers and inmates have not increased as the correctional officer shortage has grown. Among correctional officers, the number of injuries decreased slightly, from 1,702 injuries to 1,692 injuries. While inmate injuries requiring medical treatment decreased significantly, the number of assault-related injuries to inmates increased by 11 percent. Forty-three percent of the most serious assault-related injuries to inmates were self-inflicted.
• The Department recently initiated some retention efforts as a result of an Internal Audit Division report, but the Department could explore other options to increase retention of experienced correctional officers. Differential pay, childcare and transportation, expanding the exit interview process, and establishing a standard overtime policy are some options to consider. We estimate that the cost of correctional officer turnover in fiscal year 2000 was over $40 million.
• Most newly promoted correctional officer sergeants do not receive the management training they need to supervise effectively. Only 35 percent (319 of 911) of correctional officers promoted to sergeant in the past two fiscal years received the supervisory training necessary to effectively manage the Department's increasingly less experienced correctional officers.
• One in four correctional officers does not receive the required 40 hours of in-service training. In fiscal years 1999 and 2000, only 78 percent and 74 percent of correctional officers received all of the required in-service training, respectively. This in-service training helps correctional officers keep pace with issues and changes in their jobs. In fiscal year 2000, several units had a reduced training schedule as a result of staffing shortages.

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