From The Texas Tribune
By Emily Foxhall
Duane Stuart, who has been employed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for 22 years, says conditions for workers in prisons are only getting worse. The only thing keeping him in his job as a correctional officer is his desire for the retirement benefits that he will be eligible for after 30 years of employment.
Stuart added that his peers have been voicing concerns that some of the units are becoming increasingly unsafe, especially as staffing numbers shrink and employees are being forced to work overtime.
Several TDCJ facilities built in rural areas have had particular difficulty in attracting and retaining correctional officers. During fiscal year 2011, units in Kenedy, Beeville, Beaumont and Lamesa all had turnover rates above 40 percent. While TDCJ has increased its efforts to bring employees to these positions — addressing staffing issues remains a "top priority" for the department, said TDCJ spokesman Jason Clark — the problem has made headlines throughout the summer.
Read the full Article Here!
From the Desk of BoBoTheBeaten:
ReplyDeleteThis article is why we shouldn’t focus on anything else except increasing and maintaining staff. Don't try to convince anyone that air conditioning is more important for a person’s health than working excessive sleep deprived hours. The convicts get all the sleep they want and you have to be ready when they're ready, not after you gotten enough sleep.
Union representatives should focus on things that attract people who want to work for TDCJ and who wants to make it a career. We should attract people who look at themselves as professionals. I suggest higher pay and raising the physical standards.
Nothing irritates me more than to see a bunch of out of shape people in unpressed uniforms. I want to know that if I need backup any colleague including supervisors will be there without hesitation and is mentally focused and physically fit.
Raise the hiring standards and promotions shouldn't be based on five or six subjective questions. Applicants should first be able to pass a job knowledge based exam. TDCJ should hire people who can speak and write English as their first language.
Policies should be applied across the board and everyone held to the same standard. Leadership should walk the walk and not just talk the talk. We know when you open your mouth and bullshit comes out.
There is no way a unit that maintains a high turnover rate is safe. If the unit isn’t safe then the public isn’t safe. I'm sure other posters have many more ideas how to make this a better place to work.
BObo NO ONE WOULD BACK YOU UP!!!! YOU Jerk OFFF!!!!!!!!!!
DeleteFrom the Desk of BoBoTheBeaten:
DeleteI go into any situation realizing I may be and probably will be alone. Have you seen the fatso's and old farts working in this place (you included)? When I get down with my business all that's left to do is the body count. If you can't help then you're a liability. If you're a liability then you don't belong here. If you're here then you should be in white.
BOOOO WHOOOOO LOL ypur prob scared old man who lets Inmates Punk you out DAILY .
DeletegUYS LIKE you talk Big game , But last ones to do anything..except talk trash and wast good O2
Punk
From the Desk of BoBoTheBeaten:
DeleteWhat language are you trying to speak?
ask your wife
DeleteFrom the Desk of BoBoTheBeaten:
DeleteProperly written it should read - "Ask your wife." Why is it so hard for today's youngsters to read and write English grammatically and punctually correct? I don't expect you to be able to answer that question much less respond to it. Just go have another cheeseburger fatso.
Well genius, did you ask her?
DeleteFrom the Desk of BoBoTheBeaten:
DeleteAxed her what? I forgot the question.
You sound so stupid. Like you never graduated from first grade.
DeleteFrom the Desk of BoBoTheBeaten:
DeleteState law forced the school system to finally push me through so technically I guess I graduated.
Scared Old man hidding behind his computer screen.
Deleteboo boo such a coward....
From the Desk of BoBoTheBeaten:
DeleteWhy I outta..............Have a good weekend fatso!
That's what happens to grumpy old men who spend too much time in front of their computer,.... they forget.
DeleteIt's not just the conditions that make it difficult to keep staff. The quality of promoted staff is at an all time low. Who wants to work for rank that talks to you like dirt - screaming and yelling constantly at officers in person, over the phone and on my shift, via radio transmissions. If anyone would monitor our frequency they'd think the inmates have taken over. We finally got some new blood in a week or so ago and had almost the same number of seasoned officers quit, speed up retirement or transfer to other shifts so we're back at square one. Most nights the call-ins add up into the double digits and as been like this for a couple of months yet the front office can't understand why. At the present time we've got 6-7 openings for sgts. and few qualified applicants that want that extra $50 or so a month. Just not worth it.
DeleteHah, you've worked for Sanchez Unit too.
DeleteYeah at sanchez admin enjoys stressing out the poor staff. I'm looking for a transfer where the only ones I need to concern myself with are offenders.
DeleteI work at the big mac and we only have 11 assigned to my adseg shift. We are so dependent on outside help its ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteThese turnover numbers have real costs in both dollars and the steady dilution of experience. Being understaffed decreases security. The overall lack of experience decreases security. It's apparent that most our legislators only care about cost. Officers attend the academy, OJT / unit orientation, and at least a full cycle being "mentored" before we are even allowed to put them to work on their own. That is around $5,000 in pay alone spent on every new boss before they can be used to man a duty post or even fill a spot on the roster.
ReplyDeleteWith something like 23,000 to 24,000 officers, 20% annual turnover means we need to train around 4,800 new bosses every year. Just based on the $5,000 in pay during academy and OJT, the turnover has an annual cost of $24 million. That isn't huge in terms of the agency budget overall, but it's not insignificant. Cutting the turnover in half would free up enough money to pay everyone in gray at least an extra $500 each year. These are just rough conservative estimates. It would be great if the union or The Backgate could more accurately calculate the true costs of high turnover.
People complain that they need more money to stay. That isnt necessarly true. Many of the officers that complain about low pay do not deserve the pay they get now. The real problem is low pay for officers though but for a different reason. The State of Texas is seaking a special individual to train and work in the prison system. The profile is that the officer be college educated and have some military training so that they had discipline and education and likely are stable workers. TDCJ pays a low wage so they only attract people that can not get a job elsewhere. They hire younger individual fresh from high school, older individuals that can not get a job elsewhere or people that have trouble keeping a job. Many come to the State just to get insurance that they are unable to get elsewhere. If the states wants to improve the quality of officers then they must improve the quality of pay and working conditions in order to attract those type of persons. I am one of those old overweight individuals and I have to hang on for another 6 years before I qualify for retirement. I have been in the system long enough to see so many good officers leave for jobs where they could almost double their pay. Many police departments begin their trainees at over 40 grand so we have young men and women that come to TDCJ to get a few years of law enforcement under their belt to enhance their resume then they are gone. We live in a Wal-Mart world where you buy cheap then toss it aside when it no longer works and buy the same iteam again. TDCJ does the same with its officers in that it hires on the cheap then tosses them aside when they dont work out right and hires another officer on the cheap to replace them. Even the people that buy from Wal-Mart are getting tired of poor quality and the constant replacement of stuff that doesnt work. Some one needs to tell TDCJ that they are paying for what they get and getting what they pay for. If they want better then they need to pay better.
ReplyDeleteTDCJ isn't much on the loyalty part to their officers you do you job for 364 days( WITH NO COMPLAINTS} a year thru the heat and cold and dealing with the offenders and then on that 365th day of the year you do the PAT and BAM your without a job, KIND OF SUX. I mean no call ins for the year, stop no telling how many fights, and done everything they asked you to do. But your body a little slower and instead of using your fist you use verbal invention. You pick up other skills to compensate for other areas you may have slowed down in. BUT THE BIGGEST LIE OF ALL, " WERE NOT HERE TO GET YOUR JOB." GOT TO LOVE IT.
ReplyDeleteI FULLY AGREE WITH YOU ON THAT... I HAVE BEEN WITH TDCJ FOR OVER 15 YEARS NOW . AND HAVE HAD TO GET KNEE SURGERY BECAUSE OF THE CONCRETE AND I BAD USE OF FORCE I WAS IN LAST YEAR AND NOW THE PAT TEST IS COMING UP.... AND CANT RUN LIKE I USE TO SO IS IT FAIR THAT I COULD END UP LOSING MY JOB....... I FEEL THAT IT IS UNFAIR SENSE I STEPPED UP TO HELP ANOTHER COWORKER AND BECAUSE OF IT I MIGHT LOSE EVERYTHING... TDCJ IS WRONG FOR TREATING THEIR OLDIER EMPLOYEES IN THIS WAY....... I WISH MORE CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WOULD STANDUP........
DeleteThe Pat Test needs to be challenged in Federal Court as it descriminates against taller individuals who must perform the chair squats on the same basis as shorter persons who can basically bounce off the chair. every year i take it there is at least one female who can do NO setups and No pushups but because she is so short she passes. Heigth is a gender connected charecteristic as males typically in the USA are 6 inches taller then females. The pat test is also non related to the job, i dare anyone find any officer who has ever done one pushup or setup or repeated squats in connection with their job. Yes the strair climb, the run and the carrying bag could be argued to be job related but the others are just retarted tests that someone had a brain fart and decided this is a good way to decide who is fit. I believe when it is properly challenged in federal court ( not state as you never beat the state in state court) the Federal Judge will laugh TDCJ out of the courtroom.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that the families of the employees that have died at tdcjs hands haven't sued tdcj .because THEY are RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY EMPLOYEES WELL BEING WHILE BEING TESTED.
ReplyDeleteA lot of crying and boo hoooing going on in here...if you dont like your job move on...I worked for tdcj for a little over 10 yrs and I left...the job is boring and the supervisors are a joke...had wardens that were more friendly to the inmates than they were to the officers...tdcj is going by the waste site because of the upper administrstion
ReplyDeleteIT'S not the job the job is good its its the admin. they don't know sh-t.
ReplyDelete