MARQUETTE, MI-- A spokesman says the Michigan Department of Corrections is actively recruiting to fill hundreds of correctional officer vacancies at state prisons.
Chris Gautz is responding to pickets held by COs at facilities around Michigan—including Marquette. They want less mandated overtime and a change of leadership at the MDOC.
Gautz says the vacancy rate statewide is 11.8 percent. He notes the department aims for a 7-percent vacancy rate, and if more people are hired officers complain they can’t get overtime.
“We hear if from both sides. Once we do a really good job and we hire and we have a really good… low vacancy numbers at certain facilities the staff there get upset because they’re not able to work overtime. Now it’s kind of on the other side of it right now. They’re saying they’re getting mandated too much,” he says.
Gautz says the understaffing problem isn’t unique to Michigan and some states have much higher vacancy rates.
He notes COVID-19 threw a wrench into this year’s recruitment efforts.
