Corrections officials flag alarmingly high turnover among correctional staff; median tenure under six months

Travis Engelhardt, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation—s chief human resources officer, told the Senate Appropriations Committee the agency—s overall turnover fell to just under 20% for calendar year 2024 after a difficult prior period, but that correctional officer losses remain especially high.

"We are losing between 40 and 60% of all our hired correctional officers in that first year," Engelhardt said. He added that when the department analyzed tenure, "the median stay of a correctional officer in those two years was five and a half months. So essentially, we train them and then they're gone." The committee heard detailed exit-survey data showing about 70% of departing employees reported having another job when they left and 60% said the new job paid more.

Nut graf: The staffing crisis affects facility operations, programming and safety, the department said. DOCR…