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DOC credits recruitment changes for falling vacancies but mandatory overtime remains a concern
Summary
DOC told lawmakers it has reduced correction‑officer vacancies by expanding trainee hiring to age 18 and shortening hiring timelines, but mandatory overtime rose slightly and the department still faces staffing challenges in nursing and other licensed roles.
Department of Corrections leaders defended recruitment and retention measures, saying they have reduced vacancies while acknowledging persistent staffing pressures that drive overtime.
Secretary Laurel Harry said the department lowered the minimum trainee age to 18 in January 2023 and that the change has produced better retention: the DOC reported hiring 211 individuals under age 21 and lower early‑separation rates for that cohort. “For the first 9 months, only 4.7 percent of those individuals end up washing out or leaving our system,” Harry said, contrasting that with a 25.3 percent attrition rate among older new hires in the same period.
DOC officials said other steps — faster time‑to‑hire, recruitment events and contractual pay increases — also helped shrink vacancies: the department said its vacancy pool has fallen from a high of roughly 930 vacancies in late 2022 to about 420 vacancies at the time of testimony (a roughly 4.8% vacancy rate). DOC said monthly hiring and retention incentives and improvements in onboarding are producing progress, though some job classes (notably registered nurses and LPNs) still show higher vacancy counts.
On overtime, the DOC reported overall overtime declines over four years but a small increase in mandatory overtime from 13% to 15% year‑over‑year; voluntary overtime has decreased. Committee members asked for facility‑level breakdowns of mandatory overtime and vacancies; the DOC agreed to provide this data as follow‑up.
DOC also described other retention steps: targeted retention bonuses for registered nurses (annual payments) and collective‑bargaining adjustments that increased starting pay for Correctional Officer Trainees to about $47,000 with a step to roughly $50,000 after one year on the job.
Ending: Lawmakers urged continued monitoring. DOC said it will provide facility‑level vacancy and overtime statistics and continue recruitment strategies, including limited out‑of‑state hiring where appropriate.
