We cannot afford schools. We cannot afford healthcare for everyone. And apparently we cannot even afford prisons anymore either.
This is some scary stuff.
Bulging Jails and Tight Budgets
Make Job of Guard Even Tougher
In Oklahoma, the 2000 Killing Of a Young Officer Lingers; Staff Positions Go Unfilled; 'I'm Going to Cut Your Throat'
November 2, 2005
The job of prison guard, which has always been perilous, is growing harder. Because of tougher sentencing laws and budget constraints, the number of inmates in the U.S. is growing rapidly, far outpacing the hiring of prison officers. The number of federal and state prisoners nationwide hit 1.5 million last year, up 51% compared with 1995. The number of prison officers increased 8% during the same period, to 239,079.
In practice, because only a fraction of guards work any one particular shift, the split is even more lopsided. As a result, it's not unusual for only 17 or 18 officers to be responsible for 1,000 inmates.
Being a prison guard has rarely been an attractive profession. The rate of turnover is high and salaries are low. But today, the pressure on guards is growing worse, because state and federal budgets have not kept pace with the increase in inmates. There were 7,795 inmate assaults on prison officers last year, up 13% from 2003, according to the American Correctional Association. That's in part due to staff shortages, but also because of lengthier sentences, which give inmates serving life little to fear.
One of the direst cases is Oklahoma, where the 2001 recession and subsequent sluggish recovery dampened tax revenues. Rising Medicaid and education costs have crowded out other spending priorities. The state has 2,553 authorized corrections-officer positions overseeing 23,000 inmates, but only 1,968 of those are filled.
