As the state with the largest number of incarcerated residents, Texas faces an ongoing shortage of guards to man its many prisons, particularly in the juvenile justice system, so the states is raising wages for prison workers to reduce turnover and improve the ability to recruit employees, the Associated Press reports.
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department operates six prisons, seven halfway houses and 14 local detention centers. The state also has at least two privately-run prisons for juvenile offenders, which are not staffed by the state.
Correctional officers and case managers will get a 15% pay increase as “the first step in stabilizing the agency” which has seen widespread departures in recent years, said Interim Executive Director Shandra Carter. A recent federal investigation into the state’s treatment of prisoners, particularly juvenile employees, concluded that many of the problems were related to staff shortages and exceptionally high staff turnover.