NCJ Number
77206
Date Published
1980
Length
51 pages
Annotation
This study reviews progress over a 5-year period in selected areas critical to the attraction and retention of security officers in adult State departments of corrections.
Abstract
The areas under study are salary and promotional opportunities, job benefits, entry requirements, and other descriptive characteristics (average educational and age levels and turnover rate). A perspective of the changes over the 1974-79 period is seen when selected results are compared to recommendations made by the Task Force on Corrections in 1973 in the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals. Data were obtained from responses to questionnaires completed by 50 State departments of corrections. Findings reveal that for some occupational groups, entry level salaries of correctional officers are competitive, ranging from $10,622 to $12,016 across the five regions. However, these salary structures will have to be continually updated in order to remain competitive. Even though the numbers of personnel in the security officer position have increased, the ratio of staff to inmates has also increased. Several mitigating factors may lessen the apparently negaitve impact of ratio increase. A decrease in the number of months before an employee is promoted is apparent as is an increase in the importance of prior correctional experience and job performance as a criterion for promotion. Turnover continues to be a problem of major proportions for most departments. While the growth of employee unions in corrections has been slight over the past 5 years, the trend is toward increasing union activity. Overall, public airing of problems and issues coupled with legislative support of correctional programs will enable correctional administrators to create an occupational environment and provide remunerative benefits which will attract the quality of individuals needed to meet the challenge of modern corrections. Tabular data and 19 references are provided.