High turnover means Nueces County needs jailers
By Dayna Worchel, Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Texas | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The shortage means the county must pay current corrections officers overtime, which costs the county, and therefore taxpayers, more than paying the salary of a full-time corrections officer, Kaelin said. During a recent pay period, the county paid
That overtime pay comes from the 35 budgeted salaries of the vacant corrections officers, which is
"The money won't be in the budget, and the county might need to dip into its
Another factor connected to having enough corrections officers is the state law that mandates jails keep a ratio of 1 corrections officer to 48 inmates. Laws also require jailers must be paid time and a half for overtime and holiday pay, and corrections officers are required to check on inmates twice per hour, Kaelin said.
If that ratio can't be met, then prisoners must be moved to another facility to control overcrowding, the sheriff said.
"I can't put people on the floor. ... I have to do whatever is necessary to maintain that 1:48 ratio," Kaelin said.
He recently had to move 50
If an inmate is injured as a result of overcrowding, it could result in a federal lawsuit, he said.
The recruiting effort is a massive one, and in addition to job fairs, there are plans for county representatives to talk to graduating high school seniors.
The corrections officer job pays
Benefits include life, health and dental insurance, paid holidays and opportunities for advancement.
One of the biggest reasons for the large number of vacancies is job competition from the oil fields, Kaelin said.
Jobs working for companies connected with the Eagle Ford shale can pay in the
Although many of those jobs don't come with retirement benefits, people want to be able to make money now and are not concerned about the long term, Kaelin said.
Testing for the corrections officer positions is offered each Friday. It's necessary to call the county's
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