Reference no: EM133901960

Question

The function of private sector facilities is to lower the cost to the state and facility. One of the ways these facilities do this is by being short-staffed and overworking the correctional officers that they have. The issue with overworking staff is that they can burn out, resulting in staff taking off or quitting. Experienced officers quitting is a problem because the recruitment process costs money. So the private sector, which is supposed to be saving the state money, spends more than they anticipated on salaries and training new recruits. According to the ACA's 2003 survey, the outcome of high correctional officer turnover rates included high training costs, understaffed facilities, greater strain placed on remaining officers, inexperienced staff, and lower staff morale. the problem with private prisons according to the department of justice is that violent attacks on correctional staff by inmates were 163% higher than in public prisons and the inmate-on- inmate attacks were higher by 30%. This understaffing is unsafe. These cooperation's instead of saying how could I pay a little less to have more help they ride these folks till they leave and it's pretty sad. Now by no means do I believe corrections officers should be paid less but a factor of how much to correctly staff a facility needs to be taken into consideration.