Mar 28, 2022 4 min read

Everywhere you turn, workers are in great demand. From restaurants and retail stores to manufacturing plants and hospitals, employers need more staff to make sure their operations run safely and efficiently. Nowhere is the need for more staff more critical than in our state prisons. Our corrections officers stand between those who are incarcerated – including the most violent and dangerous criminals – and our communities. And we desperately need more of them.

Like many in law enforcement, our corrections professionals have had to overcome the extreme and stressful challenges of serving our communities during a once-in-a-century pandemic. Now, the alarming staffing crisis in our state prisons has evolved into the single biggest problem that the Department of Corrections faces. In June, we began gathering vacancy numbers, which then stood at 399. Late last year, our vacancies skyrocketed to 707. Even though the pandemic has subsided, our vacancies still stand at 690.

Unfortunately, we suspect the Wolf administration doesn’t want to invest in helping our members. During a recent Senate Appropriations Hearing in Harrisburg, state Sen. Lisa Baker asked if the Department of Corrections should adjust the wage scale for new hires. Acting Corrections Secretary George Little said he has ongoing discussions with the Office of the Budget.

“Although we have our own thoughts, it has to fit within the larger scale,” Little said.

Translation: Our department understands the staffing challenges we face, and the potential dangers, but the powers-at-be in the governor’s office have other ideas.

Wolf recently announced a $1.7 billion Pandemic Recovery Plan. It’s interesting he wants to spend nearly a half-billion dollars “to revitalize communities and address the growing threat of climate change,” according to his press release. But no dollars are included for helping our state prison system, which has been Ground Zero for the pandemic, leading to overworked and exhausted employees.

Our members are reaching their breaking point. Mandatory overtime is part of our job, but now our members are being mandated two, three and even four times a week, including off days. This is not the norm, and it’s unacceptable.

Of course, COVID-19 plays a role in mandatory overtime in corrections but staffing issues now have reached a point where even institutions with little or no COVID are experiencing unprecedented overtime needs.

By far, the largest number of vacancies falls within our officer ranks. Simply put, our limited number of officers cannot sustain this workload. Even without massive amounts of overtime, this profession already takes a serious toll. Members are not just tired; they’re physically and emotionally broke. Morale is at an all-time low. Tragically, our ranks experienced five suicides in 2021.

Every employment classification is vital to how the department carries out its mission. We are a self-sustained organization. Maintenance keeps our institutions structurally sound and functioning. They also are a key component to public safety, maintaining various technological systems and physical barriers. With severe loss of staff in the culinary department, disruptions in food service almost always lead to security issues inside our institutions. Produce, commissary and other items are delivered to our institution’s warehouses. We cannot afford a lapse in these services.

If we continue on this trajectory, I fear what will happen within our ranks. This cannot continue. It’s our hope the Pennsylvania General Assembly will hold immediate hearings to help identify solutions that will give our hard-working public servants the relief they desperately need.

We have no idea if future COVID variants will occur and cripple our system again. We must be prepared and think proactively. The lives and well-being of our members – and the safety of our communities – are literally at stake.

John Eckenrode is the president of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association.