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Florida Prisons Seek $90 Million To Fix ‘Critically Low’ Staffing, Reduce Shift Length
October 13, 2019
The Florida Department of Corrections is seeking an extra $90 million next year to fix “critically low” staffing levels at facilities statewide.
The department is asking for $60.6 million for targeted retention incentives and $29 million to cut daily shifts from 12 hours to 8.5 for corrections officers.
“Staffing at the department has reached critically low level, and many of the staff currently employed are extremely inexperienced,” the department said in legislative budget request. Florida recently reduced the minimum age fort corrections officers to 18 instead of the previous 19 years of age.
The agency says their goals for the upcoming legislative session are to reduce staff attrition and vacancy rates; reduce inmate violence, addiction, idleness and recidivism; curb rising health care costs; and address aging infrastructure including facilities, fleet and information technology.
Pictured: Inside the Century Correctional Institution. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Comments
11 Responses to “Florida Prisons Seek $90 Million To Fix ‘Critically Low’ Staffing, Reduce Shift Length”
The department complains about officers working overtime and they believe it’s because officers would rather work on their days off. The problem is, the cost of living continues to go up and officers pay rate is the same forcing officers to work overtime just to survive. There is no way that an officer should have to put their life on the line and struggle financially at the same time.
By the way, I am currently a officer so this is coming from a place of experience and not just assumption.
I worked there for many years. The staff working the compound are no longer allowed to do their jobs. Inmates have to many rights! When you go to prison you should lose those rights. Inmates are allowed to curse staff, the utter disrespect is so bad it can push a person to the breaking point and if you look at one cross eyed they run get on their illegal cell phone and call mommy who in turn calls the warden and then your job is put in jeopardy because you hurt their feelings. Where were these caring parents when their thugs were growing up? I wouldn’t recommend my worst enemy to have a career in corrections after spending my career doing it. Over 20 years with 3 raises. Thanks politicians for ruining what was a decent job and turning it into a nightmare! How many raises did your politicians get, I assure you at least 1 every year they served! I could go on for days but I had to let a little steam out as fter seeing this article.
REGARDING:
“going to 8’s and giving a raise is really not a raise at all. The pay ends up equaling out.”
Same amount of money and less of your life spent earning it
Yep, that is a raise. Don’t worry. There will still be shortages and overtime.
David for better jobs outside of prison
It doesn’t matter what our suggestions or opinions are they hire people who have never worked shift work in the DOC to run it. Hiring 18 year olds is not the answer, cutting shift hours is not the answer. Alot of people enjoy the 12 hours because of the rotating days off, when I was an officer it was nice you could actually make appointments, participate in family life without using leave. The small amount of extra money you got from the 12 hr shifts was nice too. how about this don’t change the shift , give incentives for employees who have been with doc 5 plus years a reason to stay. Allow auxiliary officers to come in and work some of the shifts that are short. Give a psych test to new hires the list could go on and on thats how bad working for the DOC is now days.
A real solution would be to keep the lifers and repeat offenders segregated from new inmates. The new ones are prey to rape, robbery and extortion which create problems. Inmates who can’t follow the rules, take away visitation, canteen and/ or introduce them to the management loaf. Segregation of trouble inmates is important. The officer might then be inclined to work for the state.
They think that 8 hour shifts will retain officers but it won’t. A lot of people enjoy 12’s and the extra days off. There will be no incentive to stay. Like someone else mentioned, going to 8’s and giving a raise is really not a raise at all. The pay ends up equaling out for the hours worked and then you add in more wear and tear on vehicles and more gas driving back and forth more often. How about go for retention raises and leave the shifts the hell alone. Maybe if staff felt appreciated by their administration they would be more likely to stay. Maybe if the children being hired didn’t come to work and act like children, more people would stick around. Staff went from being well seasoned officers to young adults that lack maturity. Simply put: the pay isn’t worth the risk anymore. The inmates own the prisons because staff has been forced to become snowflakes.
With about a $2,700,000,000 budget, the state may have to change its policy on taking prisoners.
When you keep lowering the age to be a corrections officer is just hiring a body to fill a gape. That is exactly the logic being used. Nothing about what it takes to retain an officer…a quality officer that is.the educational part also has becomes not important.
McDonald’s managers make more than correctional officers, and it’s not really a raise 100 dollar a month pay cut going to 8 hour shifts ,with a 100 dollar a month “pay raise” for a total raise of 0 actually officers will spend more on fuel and vehicle maintenance so actually it’s a pay cut in reality.
J D
You are absolutely correct. But what can be done about it?
I do not blame anyone for leaving there job there because of the pay, work conditions, no support, and having to deal with the inmate violence continuously. Alot of better paying less risk jobs out there . At the same time we have to find other ways to deal with low level offenders besides incarceration. Reduce the prison population and resources can be spent on all the things mentioned above instead of petty offense incarceration. I’ve sat at court house at peoples sentencing days and I am bewildered at how some are sent down the road for minor offenses.