Michigan's correctional officers have been calling for help inside of several state prisons over a period of months, including a plea to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to call in the National Guard for relief.
The union representing corrections officers has said the low staffing numbers have created unsafe working conditions and lead to informational pickets held by the officers outside of facilities across the Upper Peninsula.
An overabundance of prisoners mixed with a severe lack of officers has resulted in officers regularly working multiple 16 hour shifts a week and higher resignation rates, according to the Michigan Corrections Organization, the union that represents corrections officers.
On Monday, the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) announced a series of recruitment events set to take place between Wednesday and Friday across five counties (Baraga, Chippewa, Jackson, Macomb, and Lapeer). The Department is looking for not only corrections officers, but health care and skilled trades staff.
"The recruitment events are an ongoing effort to get people interested in a career at MDOC and have been happening for several years with the help of our dedicated MDOC Recruitment Division," said a MDOC spokesperson in a statement to WCMU. "There are a variety of things impacting the department’s ability to fill positions such as location, housing availability, and childcare options. The department continues to work on finding ways to remove barriers for potential recruits".
A bill was recently introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives in hopes of removing the college requirements for some correctional officer positions.
The recruitment events:
Wed, Sept. 4th:
- Macomb Correctional Facility, 9am-2pm
34635 26 Mile Rd, Lenox Township, MI 48048
- Baraga Correctional Facility, 10am-3pm
13924 Wadaga Rd, Baraga, MI 49908
- Cooper Street Correctional Facility, 10am-6pm
Jackson Recruitment Office, 4000 Cooper St., Jackson, MI 49201
Thurs, Sept. 5th:
- Thumb Correctional Facility, 9am-2pm
3225 John Conley Drive, Lapeer, MI 48446
Fri, Sept 6th:
- Chippewa and Kinross Facilities, 10am-3pm
Northern Region Training Center, 16708 S. Avon St, Kinross, MI 49788
