Report: Vacancy, turnover rates for correctional officers up in Tennessee prisons

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee prisons have seen some trends: a growing number of inmates behind bars and a dwindling number of correctional officers to guard them.

According to an annual report from the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), the vacancy rate for correctional officers in state-run prisons rose to 27.6 percent this year, which is up 6.1 percentage points compared to last fiscal year.

While the vacancy rate for TDOC correctional officers has improved since hitting an all-time high of 30.8 percent in 2021, the rate has yet to return to the pre-pandemic level of 20.2 percent in the 2019 fiscal year.

In addition, correctional officer turnover rate is also up 5.7 percentage points this year, from 22.5 percent in 2023 to 28.2 percent this year, according to the report.

“Getting people in the door isn’t as big of a problem as keeping them in the door,” Heather Stanford, assistant commissioner of Human Resources and Employment Law Counsel at TDOC told lawmakers in a corrections subcommittee hearing last week.

To help with recruitment, the state has increased correctional officer salary over the years and has offered a $5,000 hiring bonus for new employees, a $1,000 bonus for current employees who refer a successful new hire, and a stipend for those working in high security facilities.

Even though vacancy and turnover rates for correctional officers are increasing, that isn’t the case for staff overall, according to Stanford.

“We are continuing to see a great trend in the vacancy and turnover rates [for TDOC staff], Stanford said. “Both are continuing to decrease.”

The department has 177 additional staff members this year compared to last year.

“…which is a really positive gain,” Stanford added during the hearing.

The TDOC annual report did not include the correctional officer vacancy and turnover rates for the four Tennessee prisons operated by CoreCivic, but a 2023 comptroller audit found CoreCivic facilities had a 146 percent average turnover rate between the four facilities, with the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center having a 188 percent turnover rate.

The Trousdale Turner Correctional Center is currently being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice for reports of sexual and physical abuse and mass staff turnover, among other allegations.

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