TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – New uniforms, new technology and a new no-nonsense attitude by managers at the Department of Corrections is paying dividends in fewer use-of-force reports, but the prison agency still faces huge problems hiring and retaining staff.
Drugs, cellphones, weapons and even cigarettes are regularly smuggled into the state prisons by staff, visitors and, lately, technology.
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"I think we had our first drone incident, where somebody tried to drop contraband over the fence with a drone," Corrections Secretary Julie Jones said.
Jones told the House Judiciary Committee that low staffing makes it hard to combat the smuggling of contraband.
"Will a salary increase help? Yes," Jones said.
But Jones isn't asking for pay raises despite a report by the union representing prison workers that found 7,600 left their jobs over a three-year period. Jones acknowledges pay is a big reason for the departures.
"The ones that do, do leave for a better job site salary," Jones said.
Kim Schultz is a 19-year veteran probation officer. She hasn't left because she likes her job. But, she said, "Most us have second jobs. We work for TSA. We work for security companies. We work in department stores."
In the past, the agency used money destined for salaries to fix buildings. That resulted in huge overtime bills. All of that has stopped.
"I can pour money into salaries and have the buildings crumble, and I have a resultant problem," Jones said.
Jones also acknowledged that about a third of the 30,000 people sent to prison each year are there for low-level drug offenses, including marijuana.
Corrections officers have had only one pay raise in the last eight years, while the Highway Patrol and other officers have gotten pay bumps to keep them from leaving for higher-paying agencies.