FDC Hoping Job Fair Attendance Will Increase With New Incentives
November 17th, 2017 by Jake StofanThe Florida Department of Corrections has seen a 103% increase in vacancies since 2016 alone.
The vacancy rate at some prisons is near 30 percent.
The Department asked for and got a $2,500 raise for correctional officers. the raises started October first. DOC is also offering $1,000 signing bonuses to new hires in high turnover prisons.
40 perspective correctional officers showed up here in Wakulla County Friday at a Department of Corrections hiring event.
DOC says about 70% of them will likely be hired with a starting salary of just over $30,000.
Captain Ron McDonald is a Regional Recruiter for the prison agency.
He says the turnout is fairly typical, but also says interest has increased with the addition of new incentives.
“There’s just so many different things you can do with the department. Those that are in our central office and our ELT team and all. Most of them have started right here as a correctional officer. So you can go as far as you want with the department,” said McDonald.
Some applicants say the bonus was part of what motivated them to show up at the job fair.
“I mean it’d be a good place to start.$33,500 isn’t really a starting place for many 19-year-olds,” said applicant Dylan Stevens.
Others like Keyambreia Sapp say it’s simply something they’ve always wanted to do.
“I saw flier on Facebook. I’ve been trying to get into the corrections system. I was like hey this sounds like a good idea, going out to the hiring event,” said Sapp.
The lack of qualified officers has had a direct effect on moral within prisons and has hampered DOC’s ability to keep drugs and other contraband out of the hands of inmates.
Correctional Officer positions come with options for health insurance and pension plans.
To find out more about job opportunities with FDC click here.
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