NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) — 13News Now is investigating life inside Virginia's prisons, where one corrections officer said, “Violence can erupt any day, at any given time.”
For the first time, we are sitting down with an officer, who currently works for the Virginia Department of Corrections. 13News Now uncovered a critical shortage of those officers, and now, we are getting a firsthand account of the dangers of being short-staffed behind bars.
We've seen what happens when prisons are short staffed. Inmates try to take advantage. People get hurt. Lives are lost. When we started reporting on this situation in Virginia, officer after officer reached out to us. They want citizens to know they're not the only ones in danger here; the public is, as well.
Imagine walking into your job, every single day, feeling like this: “I think day-to-day, ‘Please God, don't let nothing happen,’” one corrections officer relayed.
We are protecting this officer’s identity because he fears losing his job. He realizes the reaction to his description might be: "Well, you work in a prison, you signed up for this." He responds that this situation, this time in corrections, this is different.
“You can work in a prison and be safe too, but when you're understaffed, nobody's safe,” he explained.
With these staffing levels, it is a regular challenge of how to work in a prison and return home alive after your shift.
“You're constantly surrounded by felons, violent offenders, rapists, murders,” he described. “You're in there shoulder-to-shoulder, closer than we are, a couple of feet away.”
This veteran officer said the situation has only gotten worse. He's seen people go on their lunch break and never come back.
The data backs him up: A Department of Corrections report presented to lawmakers shows a steady increase in the turnover rate. At the end of June, it measured 27.22%. Several current corrections officers told us DOC spends tax dollars to train officers, and then in many cases, they leave for the private sector or for better-paying law enforcement jobs.
The officer we interviewed believes inmates know prisons are short-staffed, which makes the situation even more dangerous.
“At the drop of the hat they can take over at any given time, for any reason and there's nothing we can do to stop it,” he lamented.
This has happened in other states. Just over a year ago at Pasquotank prison in North Carolina, inmates tried to escape, killing four people in the chaos. Federal investigators said a staffing shortage played a role there.
In Virginia, this officer's mind goes to that worst-case scenario. He wonders what would happen if inmates succeed in taking over and in breaking out.
“Then those same people that are locked up are roaming the streets,” he feared. “Now you got them roaming around schools. You got manhunts and some of these guys are lifers. They got nothing to lose.”
So, what's the fix? This officer said better equipment and fewer overtime shifts filling in would help, but the main issue is pay. While many COs are now getting a small raise and bonus, we've learned Virginia officers are still well below the national average.
With the increase, the average Virginia salary is just over $37,000. According to federal data, the national average is up around $47,600.
The decision to allocate a large pay bump falls to the Governor's Office and the General Assembly. This C.O. believes that will only happen if people hear the message of officers who put their lives on the line every day.
“Their safety is actually in our hands,” he added. “They've got to trust us to do our jobs, but at any time, it can go south quick. I just really want the public to realize that there's really good people out there doing a hard job and they need the support.”
13News Now reached out to the Department of Corrections for a response to what this officer said. “We are fortunate to have amazing corrections officers and probation officers who are helping Virginia achieve the lowest recidivism rate in the nation,” Director of Communications, Lisa Kinney, wrote. “We are recruiting new officers at many of our correctional facilities, looking for more people to join our mission of helping people to be better. As you know, the legislature approved salary increases for correctional officers last legislative session, which are scheduled to take effect in January.”
We also asked the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, who oversees D.O.C, for a statement.
"The safety of correctional officers, probation/parole officers and inmates remains a top priority for Governor Northam, in conjunction with reducing our national best recidivism rate," Policy Advisor Asif Bhavnagri said.
Lawmakers added this is something the General Assembly should look into for the next session.
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