Comments on: Prison Overhaul Headed Back To Senate http://www.northescambia.com/2015/04/prison-overhaul-headed-back-to-senate Local News for Molino, Bratt, McDavid, Century, Walnut Hill, Cantonment Sat, 11 Apr 2026 12:01:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Milton http://www.northescambia.com/2015/04/prison-overhaul-headed-back-to-senate/comment-page-1#comment-297470 Milton Mon, 27 Apr 2015 19:56:52 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=213965#comment-297470 The house version of the bill adds two additional regions, no oversight committee, and only funds 175 out of 600 vacant correctional officer positions. 1. The two new regional offices will be staffed with managers and assistants making between paying $40,000 and $110,000 per year. Estimated salaries for the two new offices $1,500,000. Enough money to fil 45 correctional offices positions. Since when has adding management made an organization more efficient?? 2. Rigid hierarchical organizations (think the US Military, Sheriff's Department, Prisons) can not be relied upon to regulate themselves. That is why we have civilian control over the military and an elected Sheriff. Who checks on the Department of Corrections? We need an outside commission to oversee this state department and this bill does not provide for that. 3. The Department of Corrections is currently staffed at crisis level security staffing rates(staffing rates that are the minimum needs in an emergency, such as during a natural disaster). The 600 new correctional officers would only get the department minimum staffing requirements (the least amount of staffing necessary to run the facilities in normal operations). This bill only provides 175 new correctional officer positions. With the current funding levels and number of inmates in the system, two things are true. For our loved ones who are working in our prisons, they are not safe. For our loved ones who are incarcerated, they are not safe either. The house version of the bill adds two additional regions, no oversight committee, and only funds 175 out of 600 vacant correctional officer positions.

1. The two new regional offices will be staffed with managers and assistants making between paying $40,000 and $110,000 per year. Estimated salaries for the two new offices $1,500,000. Enough money to fil 45 correctional offices positions. Since when has adding management made an organization more efficient??

2. Rigid hierarchical organizations (think the US Military, Sheriff’s Department, Prisons) can not be relied upon to regulate themselves. That is why we have civilian control over the military and an elected Sheriff. Who checks on the Department of Corrections? We need an outside commission to oversee this state department and this bill does not provide for that.

3. The Department of Corrections is currently staffed at crisis level security staffing rates(staffing rates that are the minimum needs in an emergency, such as during a natural disaster). The 600 new correctional officers would only get the department minimum staffing requirements (the least amount of staffing necessary to run the facilities in normal operations). This bill only provides 175 new correctional officer positions.

With the current funding levels and number of inmates in the system, two things are true. For our loved ones who are working in our prisons, they are not safe. For our loved ones who are incarcerated, they are not safe either.

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