CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Raises pushed by Governor Jim Justice for corrections officers has resulted in a surge in hiring at the Division of Corrections.
The Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety has revealed it hired 730 correctional officers since the legislature passed the Governor’s pay raise in March. The surge in hiring overcame a turnover of 459 officers who left the department during the same time frame. Officials say the raises have helped reduce the number of vacancies within the division by 67 percent since early March.
Secretary Jeff Sandy and Governor Justice have both been personally notified by new employees it was the pay raise which prompted their decision to apply for employment with Corrections.
Corrections Officers will receive an increase in wages by $2,000 on July 1st and two more $2,00 raises in 2019 and 2020. On top of the $6,000 pay improvement, those workers will also benefit from the raises approved for teachers, state police, and other state workers earlier this year.
The hires include 231 corrections officers in the state’s prisons, 410 in the Regional Jails, and 80 in Juvenile Services. Vacancies have been reduced to fewer than 200 at Corrections, below 125 at the jails, and 68 vacancies remain in the Juvenile Services Division.