Ever Thought About Working At A Prison?
Ever thought about working at a prison? It’s paying more than it used to.
North Carolina’s state prisons, like many other job sectors, are in desperate need of employees. The shortage has led officials to increase pay in a bid to attract more applicants.
The Albemarle Correctional Institution east of Charlotte is among the North Carolina prisons soliciting new employees. On the prison campus, a large sign advertises a “Hiring Event.”
“It was always hard to fill prison jobs,” Albemarle Correctional Institution warden Kenneth Diggs told Spectrum News. “But we went critical after COVID.”
The North Carolina Department of Corrections reports an employee vacancy rate of 42 percent. That’s nearly half of all prison jobs unfilled. Meanwhile, more than half of North Carolina’s prisons have had to either cut back on the prisoner population or close entire sections altogether. Before the pandemic, only around 15 percent of prison jobs were unfilled. Of the 57 state prisons in North Carolina, 31 have had to take prisoner reduction measures because of staffing.
Working at a prison isn’t for everyone. Corrections officers and other prison staff are at a higher risk of physical harm or injury due to the nature of their work. Working in a prison can also be emotionally taxing. And because of the additional strain of the staffing crunch, hours can be long and erratic.
