Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

Corrections Experiences Turnover and Vacancies, But Performance Not Diminished

Report 07-15, February 2007

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Report Summary

  • The department has experienced significant correctional officer and medical staff turnover that has increased its training and medical costs. At the end of Fiscal Year 2005‑06, the department had approximately 500 (5%) correctional officer vacancies, and it had more than 200 vacant nurse, physician, and dentist career service positions at times during the year. The department attributes this turnover to the rural location of most prisons, stressful working conditions, and salary competition. The Legislature has increased correctional officer salaries, but many counties continue to offer higher salaries to their corrections staff.
  • When officers leave shortly after they are trained, the state loses the dollars it has spent training them. While state law requires such officers to reimburse the state for training costs, the department has not routinely collected these repayments.
  • Federal courts have mandated that states provide at least minimum levels of inmate health care. Because the department is having difficulty filling career service medical positions, particularly nurses, it is using higher-cost other personal services (OPS) positions and healthcare contract agencies to provide mandatory health coverage.
  • Despite vacant correctional officer positions, measures of prison security remain largely unchanged, and the department is meeting its critical complement in prison staffing. Because the department does not use a consistent, reliable method for determining security staffing needs, it may have more correctional officer positions than necessary to run the prison system.

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    Report 09-07 January 2009
  2. Corrections' Contraband Effort Is Sound; Cell Phone Penalties and Warden Consistency Are Needed
    Report 08-20 April 2008
  3. Higher Priority Should Be Given to Transition Services to Reduce Inmate Recidivism
    Report 07-17 February 2007
  4. Some Inmate Family Visitation Practices Are Not Meeting the Legislature's Intent
    Report 07-16 February 2007
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
criminal justice, juvenile justice, crime, corrections, correctional officer, separations, trainees, turnover, training costs, vacancies, vacant positions, vacant FTE, prison, inmate, healthcare, health care cost, OPS, reimbursement, separation rate, corrections, sexually violent predators, sex offenders, treatment, ryce act, martin, liberty, mentally ill, desoto, monitoring, evaluation