Author: Victoria Ferimer
October 22, 2024
After graduating with my Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology, I considered many employment paths. One path was to put my criminal justice minor to use and work in a correctional setting, so I took the first step and browsed GovernmentJobs.com for suitable opportunities. I found that the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (2024) had posted an opening for "Correctional Counselor 2" at a juvenile detention center. I felt the job played into my strengths, so I applied… and quit after my second day. An experience that could have been an excellent opportunity for professional and personal development ended up shifting my career path. I was able to identify the shortcomings of the hiring and training process, the facility, and the policies, along with determining solutions to those flaws for correctional executives to consider.
This was not an experience unique to me - in fact, it was very common. For example, one correctional officer in Georgia noticed a major problem soon after he started - a severe staffing shortage - and would eventually quit alongside others. Since 2019, there has been a 10% drop in staff despite a 2% increase in prison populations (Heffernan & Li, 2024). Low staff led to mandatory overtime, violence, poor mental health support, and overall burnout.
West Virginia has been no different from the rest of the U.S., with the West Virginia National Guard (2022) needing to support the Department of Corrections after Governor Jim Justice declared a state of emergency due to low staffing levels. This did not alleviate the issue; prison workers would go on to protest in 2023 because of staffing shortages (Schulz, 2023). Without knowing how bad the turnover rates were, I was eager to work in a juvenile detention center that very same year.
Hiring Process
As a new contender in the workforce, I was unfamiliar with a typical interview and hiring process. While I felt the interview with the West Virginia Juvenile Detention Center went smoothly, looking back, red flags and skewed promises were prevalent. For starters, the job listing by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (2024) states they anticipate several vacancies for correctional counselors, an acknowledgment of their high turnover rate. My compatibility with the job description led me to ignore that warning completely.
During the interview, they offered a signing bonus, which happens to be a common recruitment strategy to alleviate high turnover rates (Celi et al., 2024). The paperwork ended up taking too long for me to receive that incentive. But as a fresh graduate, that wasn't something that bothered me. I was content landing a job that paid $30,000 per year. I was already knee-deep in paperwork when they finally disclosed the hourly rate. When considering that my work would be a rotation of two weeks on and two days off, my hourly rate came to be around $13. I thought it would be worth the experience, but a low wage is considered a red flag (Tongco, 2024).
Additional red flags present in my experience included a rushed hiring process and vague future promises. As soon as the interview was over, I was offered the job. I accepted, feeling comforted by the promised training strategy. I was expecting to start my training with a three-month program at a regional academy, and then move to training in the juvenile detention center. The academic structure was familiar and a big part of why I decided to leave my comfort zone and accept the job. The fact the academy training start date was indefinite was only revealed to me much later. I would instead train inside the juvenile detention center right away. Still, I persisted, excited I had landed the job.
The Juvenile Detention Center
Before my first day of work, the Human Resources (HR) manager told me I would work overtime my first week. Mandatory overtime, or “forced overtime,” is generally legal (Namely, 2023). But despite it being legal, it didn't feel entirely right. It wasn’t clear who was in charge of deciding the frequency and duration of mandatory overtime. I was informed that since most employees had previously taken turns with their holiday time off and worked overtime, it was only fair that I also worked overtime. However, this logic would cause issues later on.
The first half of Day One consisted of paperwork and learning new login information. I spent all of that time with the HR manager, who seemed professional during our prior meetings, but my opinion quickly changed. It is important for HR managers to make employees feel safe and supported and to manage company risks (Imm, 2021). Yet while explaining how coming to work with alcohol in your system was against the rules, she admitted to coming to work "buzzed" in the past. She would also openly gossip about specific juveniles with a correctional officer in the office while I waited for her instructions. The experience left me feeling that the HR manager, a rule enforcer, was negligent. If I were to witness a policy violation, I felt I wouldn’t be able to comfortably approach HR as she tended to gossip and let rules slide. If my feelings were ubiquitous, then perhaps the integrity of the facility was inadequate.
I spent the second half of Day One reading facility-specific, Bureau of Juvenile Services, and Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation policies. I was assigned a list of around 300 policies to read and instructed to sign my initials after reading each one. The task was simple, but navigating the Google Drive that archived the policies was confusing. The organizational system was complicated and left me sifting through multiple folders to find certain policies. When I was introduced to my Training Officer, a correctional officer at the center, she admitted to being there only a few months, so she also had difficulty finding specific policies I asked about. Her new status wasn't her fault, but she couldn't answer me when I asked about the location of policies and whether I was missing policies, leading me to sign papers without full comprehension. At the end of the day, while I continued to have questions about the unorganized Google Drive, I found that all my supervisors had already left.f They had already done their mandatory overtime for the recent holiday, so the facility didn’t require them to stay past normal working hours at that time, leaving me unattended during the training process. I wasn’t able to find staff to report to, and without knowing the sign-out protocol, I hesitantly left the facility once my shift ended.
I spent the beginning of Day Two reading the rest of my assigned policies. When I finished, it was clear that my supervisors expected it to take longer. In an attempt to fill my time, they agreed to print me a Resident Handbook to see for myself how the juveniles learned their rights and expected schedules. Soon after, my Training Officer showed me a training video that mainly discussed the risks of working in a corrections environment, but I still completed both tasks much faster than expected. My Training Officer, occupied with her work as a correctional officer doing juvenile transportation, was unable to spare more time to train me. She apologized when her shift ended, wishing she had more time for my training.
I was scheduled to work on CPR training next, but the Chief of Security was too busy to teach me. Instead, he told me to put my phone in the resident handbook and "look busy." They left me to do nothing for the next hour before the HR manager relocated me to sit with a correctional officer in the security booth. I spent the rest of my shift there instead fulfilling the expected training requirements.
In the security booth, I spent most of my time speaking with an older gentleman who has worked as a correctional officer for over 30 years. We talked about personal and professional topics, leaving me with more insight into the correctional system. One thing that stood out was the stories he told of juveniles meeting him years after release by coincidence. They would often hug him and thank him for his kindness, kindness that, by his own admission, got him written up. At face value, maintaining professional boundaries prevents inmates and juveniles from being taken advantage of (Cooke et al., 2019). However, he extended his help solely to fulfill the unmet needs of the juveniles he oversaw. While I sat with him, he explained that it was against the rules to use the intercom system to talk to the juveniles. However, while other correctional officers were busy, he still used the intercom system to ask juveniles about their needs and help them use the restroom. I also witnessed him ensure those in solitary confinement were okay, which the juveniles responded to with respect and thanks. His kindness also extended to me, as he asked the HR manager why I had to stay overtime if training wasn't happening and if I could leave. Nothing came out of his request.
I also spent time with a fairly new and young correctional officer. She spoke about how the legal minimum shift for a correctional officer in West Virginia was 12 hours, but in reality, it was usually much longer. Although she was friendly, there was plenty of silence between conversations as the officers on duty needed to concentrate on their jobs. I used that time to observe the juveniles and staff. The teachers would smoke so often that the security shift would get annoyed. I witnessed one correctional officer throw a shoe at a juvenile after putting her in solitary confinement for starting a fight, causing her to scream. In the end, the combination of insufficient training, negative stories from other employees, and mistreatment of the juveniles led me to quit that night.
Reflection
Working inside a correctional facility was once a dream of mine. Now that I have experienced one in person, my feelings have changed. During the interview, I was told that being a fresh college graduate was good. It would allow them to mold me into anyone they'd like. I considered that a positive mindset at first. But now, I wonder if the system is too flawed, that any molding that took place would only be counterproductive to helping the incarcerated.
When reading the Resident Handbook, I asked myself how the juveniles could comprehend so much pertinent information when 85% of all juveniles in the court system are functionally low-literate (Literacy Mid-South., n.d.). Furthermore, I thought the risks of working in a correctional environment should have been a part of the hiring process rather than after starting, especially since the correctional center was hiring fresh graduates who may not fully understand what they were getting themselves into.
As I reflected on my experience, my questions continued to get more specific. Wouldn't the juveniles seeing the teachers take so many breaks from their jobs to smoke cigarettes negatively affect them? Wouldn’t juveniles witnessing such frequent breaks be a distraction, as well as setting a bad example for professionalism when coming back with a cigarette smell? Does the mandatory overtime of correctional officers during this staffing shortage cause additional aggression towards juveniles/inmates due to burnout or exhaustion? Does the high turnover rate of correctional staff negatively affect juveniles/inmates?
Finally, if I, as a staff member, felt neglected, why wouldn't the juveniles also feel that way? I might have stayed if the training matched expectations and the staff had been more professional and less overworked. Instead, this experience fueled my ambition to help mend the system.
Solutions
It is no secret that the criminal justice system is flawed and corrupt. The Equal Justice Initiative (n.d.) describes how inhumane jails and prisons already are. The system doesn’t prevent physical harm and sexual assault; furthermore, it denies mental health treatment and tolerates abuse by staff. Rehabilitation efforts are shirked for the sake of monetary gain. An already inadequate system is being made worse by high turnover rates and staff shortages.
The West Virginia prison workers' protest in 2023 drew attention to how inmates' fundamental rights to medication and food were delayed because of security shortages (Schulz, 2023). Security shortages have also affected positive efforts to decrease overcrowding, impeding the early release of non-violent inmates as designed to be implemented by the First Step Act. Understaffing also led to unsafe and unsanitary living conditions in a women's prison, including sexual abuse by staff (Ortiz, 2022).
Considering solutions to the high turnover rate in corrections isn't easy. There are substantial systemic issues that contribute just as much as individual occupation, facility, and staff issues.
Systemic Issues
Lack of work/life balance
Lack of work/life balance because of overtime and scheduling issues are some of the top reasons for leaving corrections (Celi et al., 2024). The American Correctional Association Office of Correctional Health (2023) also cites staffing shortages and burnout as the main reasons correctional employees leave. While researching the normal work hours for correctional officers, there were no definitive answers. This lack of transparency is concerning. It is paramount that while addressing staff shortages, long work hours and mandatory overtime don't become normalized. Overworking would only continue the replacement cycle of employees, as long work hours can increase physical and mental health risks (Pfeffer, 2018). It also decreases productivity as time passes.
Policymakers and employers should reevaluate what is important when considering shifts and overtime policies. Correctional facilities need to consider the minimal amount of employees they need to run while considering shift flexibility. Estimating a number for each job role could set a more realistic goal to hit, rather than hiring at full capacity. Additionally, adding part-time positions could bring in more manpower to help with the workload (American Correctional Association Office of Correctional Health, 2023).
Prison Overcrowding
One substantial systemic issue contributing to correctional employees leaving is prison overcrowding (American Correctional Association Office of Correctional Health, 2023). Prison and jail overcrowding has long been an issue that also adds to the work of the already overworked correctional employees, with the inmate-to-correctional officer ratio reaching more than 15:1 in some facilities (Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), 2022). Releasing certain demographics would be a starting place to relieve the overcrowding. Inmates feel that without risking public safety, the elderly and those with mental illnesses could potentially be released or relocated to nursing homes and mental health institutions (Heffernan & Li, 2024). Well-behaved and non-violent offenders could also be released to help reduce the employee-inmate ratio.
Low Regard for the Profession
Another substantial systemic issue contributing to correctional employees leaving is low regard for the profession (American Correctional Association Office of Correctional Health, 2023). Negative views on correctional work could be boosted by having more leaders in the field bring awareness to the critical nature of the work correction agencies and staff perform (American Correctional Association Office of Correctional Health, 2023). Hosting events at high schools and military installations for prospective job seekers could help applicants see correctional work in a better light.
Low Job Satisfaction
In the U.S., Mercer (2023) found that fulfilling work is the biggest factor that helps employees thrive. Coincidentally, the American Correctional Association Office of Correctional Health (2023) found that low job satisfaction was one of the main reasons correctional employees leave. The recruiting process is one way to alleviate low job satisfaction. For starters, Mercer (2023) suggests redefining expectations and contracts. By being transparent about the current staffing shortage and expected overtime, while emphasizing the positive impact of their position, correctional facilities can better attract job candidates who are passionate about the work. Additionally, enhanced benefits such as higher pay, better insurance coverage, early retirement, etc., and a focus on staff wellness potentially give employees another reason to stay. Other than salary, benefits and enhanced benefits are some of the reasons employees don't leave their jobs, according to Celi et al. (2024). There has also been a trend in staff investment measures that focus on providing wellness tools ranging from utilizing a massage chair to classes on how to mitigate stressors for staff (American Correctional Association Office of Correctional Health, 2023). Recognition awards during and after training could also alleviate low job satisfaction. Recognition awards and training/career path preparation are other general correction retention factors (Celi et al., 2024).
Individual Organizational Issues
Lack of Consistent, Professional Employees
Each state in the U.S. has its legislation regarding the correctional system (Brooks, 2019). This division could be an issue when considering how to ensure every facility takes measures to reduce the turnover rate. While getting the system uniform is a large task, a place to start could be ensuring each facility has strong leadership. Mercer (2023) points out that HR plays a big part in workforce transformation by being an employee advocate. Facilities need to be confident that their HR manager is professional and reliable. New employees should be able to rely on that professionalism. Mercer (2023) suggests several things HR could oversee, like using technology to simplify and automate tasks such as emails, AI facial recognition surveillance, scheduling, and scheduling backups. Also, employees should be advised which tasks and meetings are critical and which are optional.
For the correctional staff, designated Training Officers could be a crucial asset to correctional facilities. When researching correctional-specific training officers, I found no results indicating an official correctional Training Officer position exists. The training officer I was assigned was mainly a correctional officer who was tasked with basic training of new employees on the side. Still, official Training Officer positions exist in other fields. Training Officers work with HR, determine which employees should receive training, create all training materials, and teach employees skills to thrive in their company (ZipRecruiter Marketplace Research Team, n.d.). Hiring an employee in a correctional facility whose sole task is being a Training Officer would be beneficial. It is also important that supervisors be trained first and foremost, as Carey Group (n.d.) considers another key factor in improving justice staff training. This resonates with my experience.
Staff Training
Other employees within a correctional facility should also be held to professional standards. Juveniles are a population especially in need of positive influence. Education staff should behave in a way that reflects that. Schools that prohibit smoking on school grounds have fewer smoking students (Anderson et al., 2019). Detention centers should be no different.
Another key factor in improving justice staff training, according to Carey Group (n.d.), is grounding the content in best practices. The human rights of inmates are not always respected. Officers need to be trained in a way that allows them to recognize their potential role in doing harm or good within their facility. This could also alleviate occupational danger such as injury and homicide, another main reason correctional employees leave (American Correctional Association Office of Correctional Health, 2023). Uniforms and appearance are important as being firm, fair, and consistent earns inmates’ respect (Cornelius, 2021). Experienced correctional officers also advise on how to act around inmates, with respect being a big part of the inmates’ values. The training for every field within corrections should include how to maintain a respectful mindset, a potential way to reduce violence even amongst staffing shortages.
The American Correctional Association Office of Correctional Health (2023) considers job difficulty one reason correctional employees often leave. Mercer (2023) suggests securing the future with proper training and rewarding any skill acquisition. Incorporating skill practice in training is one of the six key factors to improve justice staff training, according to Carey Group (n.d.). They also consider offering flexible training options a key factor. Efficiency can be maximized by offering multiple modes of training, like virtual, online, and in-person options, especially if paired with a suggested timeline to complete specific training steps. It also gives employees confidence when they know a plan is in place. Supervisors should have multiple training options at any given time to avoid dead air and wasting time.
Offering specific training like anger management and identifying proper forms of discipline will help prevent violent actions from correctional staff. Time management or social skill training will help staff be able to walk away from unproductive conversations and reduce conflict escalation. Keeping a tight schedule and utilizing a watch more frequently will allow less time for staff to get sidetracked and ultimately place the inmates’ or juveniles’ needs first.
Organization and Policy Implementation
Ignoring policies can lead to inconsistent employee behaviors, a lack of proper training, wasting valuable time, and potential legal consequences (Power DMS, 2020). To encourage employees’ understanding of and adherence to correctional facility policies, an easy-to-navigate organizational system must be in place. New and current employees should be able to find any given policy without struggle. It may be beneficial to restructure the organization system, or if changing it is against policy, create a detailed guide of the current system. Without organizational barriers to understanding, policymakers can more easily identify if policies need revisions.
Facilities should also reorganize and write their Resident Handbook to match their demographic. Juveniles with low literacy may not necessarily be able to read and comprehend their rights and expected behavior through text. Graphics and images can help supplement the Handbook for better comprehension. Other needs specific to their demographic such as Spanish translations or a designated reader who presents the information out loud should be implemented when designing their Resident Handbook and other handouts.
Poor Inmate/Juvenile Behavior
It is important to consider that the inmates are well aware of the staff shortages. Heffernan & Li (2024) write about four incarcerated people, describing how most of their lives have been affected by understaffing. They had to wait long periods for medical appointments and supplies like tampons. Their recreation time would lessen, and depression rose, both of which caused more fights. When considering this, it could be beneficial to inform inmates how their behavior could increase staff retention. In turn, tasks like release dates and rehabilitation efforts could take priority, benefiting the inmates.
Conclusion
After writing about the hiring process and my first two days in one of West Virginia’s Juvenile Detention Centers, I remain confident that serious changes must be made to solve both systematic and individual organizational issues. Staff shortages have affected every aspect of the corrections system, and inmates and staff alike are suffering. Systemic issues like the lack of work/life balance, prison overcrowding, low regard for the profession, and low job satisfaction can be alleviated by considering the minimal amount of employees for each facility, adding part-time positions, releasing well-behaved and non-violent inmates, hosting events to bring awareness, and recruiting and training efforts. Individual organizational issues involving the lack of consistent, professional employees, lack of organization and policy implementation, and poor inmate/juvenile behavior can be alleviated with proper professional training, designated roles for HR and Training Officers, organized systems to easily access policies, and transparency about current issues of the incarcerated. These all have the potential to lower turnover rates and bring in more prospective employees.
Glossary
Burnout: A syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed (World Health Organization, 2019).
Chief of Security: The person chiefly responsible for an organization’s information security, as well as its physical security and safety of employees, facilities, and assets (Moore, n.d.).
Correctional Counselor: A correctional counselor works in correctional facilities to help inmates work through their issues using theories of psychology (Post University, 2020).
Correctional Officer: A correctional officer guards people in penal institutions and those in transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other point (Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d.).
Corrections: Corrections refers to the supervision of persons arrested for, convicted of, or sentenced for criminal offenses (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2021).
CPR: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating (American Heart Association CPR & First Aid Emergency Cardiovascular Care, n.d.).
Criminal Justice: An umbrella term that refers to laws, procedures, institutions, and policies at play before, during, and after the commission of a crime (Cornell Law School, n.d.).
First Step Act: Enacted in 2018, it is intended to cut unnecessarily long federal sentences and improve conditions in federal prisons (Grawert, 2020).
Human Resources (HR) Manager: A human resources manager plans, coordinates, and directs the administrative functions of an organization (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024b).
Incarcerated: Confined in a jail or prison (Merriam-Webster).
Inmates: An inmate is a person incarcerated in a local jail, state or federal prison, or private facility under contract to federal, state, or local authorities (Bureau of Justice Statistics, n.d.).
Juvenile Detention Center: A juvenile detention center is a short-term confinement, primarily used after a youth has been arrested, but before a court has determined the youth’s innocence or guilt (The Annie E. Casie Foundation, 2021).
Juveniles: A juvenile is a person who has not attained their eighteenth birthday (United States Department of Justice, n.d.).
Policies: Policies are a set of ideas or plans of what to do in particular situations that have been agreed to officially by a group of people, a business organization, a government, or a political party (Dictionary.com, n.d.).
Resident Handbook: A booklet provided to juveniles that contains site-specific community program rules and procedures and information about services and programs (Law and Public Safety Juvenile Justice Commission, 2011).
Retention: A phenomenon where employees choose to stay with their current company and don’t actively seek other job prospects (BasuMallick, 2021).
Sign-on Bonus: A sign-on bonus is a monetary reward that an employer offers to an employee when the employee begins a new job (Hinkle, 2024).
Training Officer: An employee responsible for teaching employees skills necessary to thrive in a company (ZipRecruiter Marketplace Research Team, n.d.).
Turnover Rates: Employee turnover rate refers to the proportion of employees who leave a company during a certain period. The higher the rate, the more employees leave a company (Corporate Finance Institute, n.d.).
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