Wisconsin’s struggle to staff its prisons is reflective of a crisis building across the country, as the job of prison guard, long seen as a stable position with generous benefits, has become increasingly undesirable. Working conditions deteriorated as the pandemic ravaged aging correctional facilities, and other entry-level jobs suddenly began offering higher wages.
This is the only part in this analysis that touches briefly on the issue being caused by attempting to underpay prison guards and refusing to budge on that even when the pound-foolishness causes serious (and presumably expensive) problems.
If that “entry level” is accurate, along with the numbers in this chart, then that would imply they’re attempting to pay prison guards around $40k per year. To me it would not be surprising if that means they’re having trouble finding people.
And that compounds the problems of long hours and burnout. I’ve known several former guards, they left due to the long long hours forced upon them. Some were making great money, 130k+, but working 12-16 hours a day and 6-7 days a week is not sustainable or realistic to expect from your workforce, but it is commonplace in that job. The vast majority will leave once they’re burnt out, no matter the pay.
