Despite a major increase in prison officer salaries, the Tennessee Department of Correction is hitting personnel shortages, forcing it to bring in a “floating security crew” at state facilities.
A five-person group of correctional officers volunteered to assist staff in March at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, which has capacity for 1,776 male inmates, including juvenile offenders convicted as adults, the department confirmed.
The state is hiring 20 more correctional officers to serve on the “floating security crew,” and depending on experience, their pay could range from $4,675 to $5,300 a month, up to $63,600 a year, about 20% more than the average pay for officers, according to the department.
Officers on the crew travel to locations where they are needed based on staffing levels, and applications for the job are available on the Department of Correction’s website.
The department wouldn’t say whether Northwest Correctional had suffered any security breakdowns or major incidents because of the staffing shortage.