Staffing Shortages Continue at Wisconsin Prisons, but Officials Have Seen a Bump in Interest

Friday, February 23rd, 2024 -- 11:00 AM

(Sarah Lehr, Wisconsin Public Radio) Wisconsin’s prisons continue to struggle with short-staffing, but officials say they’ve seen a bump in interest since pay raises for security staff took effect last summer.

According to Sarah Lehr with Wisconsin Public Radio, more than a quarter of correctional officer and sergeant positions were vacant statewide as of Feb. 10, according to the latest state data.

That accounts for more than 970 empty officer positions and more than 200 empty sergeant spots. That staff vacancy rate is down from 35 percent in mid-2023, and state Department of Corrections Secretary Kevin Carr said pay increases in Wisconsin’s new budget are helping to turn the tide.

“If you pay people for doing a very difficult job what they deserve, you should have less problems filling those positions,” Carr said. The raises, which took effect July 1, brought starting pay for correctional officers to $31 an hour.

The pay plan signed by the governor in July also included add-ons for officers who work in higher-security and understaffed prisons, which could bring starting pay to as high as $41 an hour.

Carr spoke with WPR Wednesday afternoon following a graduation ceremony at Madison College for newly-certified corrections officers. At 214 people, it was Wisconsin’s largest class of corrections graduates since at least 1981, according to a DOC spokesperson.

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