North Carolina’s prison system is still trying to recover from a spate of resignations nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearly 40% of correctional officer positions were vacant as of February, with more than 3,000 job openings. Thousands of beds at prisons across the state are closed because there aren’t enough certified officers to cover them.
But leaders with the state Department of Adult Corrections (DAC) insist there are enough officers working to keep prisons safe. They have hired nearly 400 private security officers to help with patrols.
The starting salary for a North Carolina correctional officer is between $36,525 and $40,348, depending on experience and prison security level. Salaries have gone up each of the past two years, but any further increases have to be approved by the legislature in the state budget.
Brandeshawn Harris, chief deputy secretary of operations at DAC, spoke with WUNC's Will Michaels about the shortage.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
WILL MICHAELS: How are you trying to recruit and retain new officers?
BRANDESHAWN HARRIS: It's been over a couple of years that we have been working to increase our salaries. We're offering hiring bonuses, referral bonuses, we offer retention bonuses for those staff members who are working in areas where they are traditionally short staffed. We also have a career progression program that we've been working on.
We hope to continue in 2024 forward to be able to try to get people in the door, and recruit more staff into our facilities just across DAC.
MICHAELS: Is it working? I ask because the vacancy rate has been hovering close to 40% since 2022. So is it working? And what more do you need to not just recruit officers but retain them?
HARRIS: We are seeing some increasing numbers with retention. As a whole, we increased over the past year 100 employees. I know we have a ways to go. But we are starting to see some improvement. Over the past couple of months, we've lost the least amount of staff we have lost, (and) we've hired more than we've lost.
So, I think it's heading in the right direction. It's just been a slow, slow movement (from) where we would like to be.
MICHAELS: What more do you need to get to where you'd like to be?
HARRIS: I think there's a couple things that we have to look at, (including) pay. Our starting rates are similar to those in the private sector. So we are comparable. But you are dealing with a different type of clientele.
It seems as if every time we improve, other sectors do as well. So, we'll increase our (salary) rates and then the county jail will increase their rate or a different state will increase their rate. And so we're all competing for the same staff in a sense. And, so it's just this constant competition.
MICHAELS: You're in an unenviable position when it comes to the fact that you raise salaries, recruit some officers, then have other states raise their salaries. But you've been in the position for a few years now. How do you operate on a daily basis, say, if an officer has to take a sick day, or you need coverage in a certain prison?
HARRIS: It is difficult. We have a committed group of staff. We work really hard every day, so other staff within our facilities kick in and help. We may have case managers, unit managers, captains, lieutenants, they will all take on a role that would traditionally be performed by a correction officer to be able to assist the facility and make sure it runs appropriately.
So, we have a lot of folks that sacrifice daily and we also have individuals who work overtime. They volunteer to come in and work overtime. One thing that a lot of people probably don't realize is working inside of a prison, the employees form almost like a family and they take care of each other. And that is one of the things that I believe has been our saving grace that's been helping us through such a trying time.