Missouri Department of Corrections is Luring Young People to Work in the Prison System While Lying about the Dangers

As the critical staff shortage continues in the Missouri Prison System, the department is trying hard to get people in the door. DOC has always relied on lowering the bar to get more staff. Most recently they lowered the minimum hiring age to 19, removed the requirement to have a valid driver's license and eased up the already easy physical requirements. Many of the people staffing Missouri Prisons now are 19-22 with little work experience. At the same time, veteran staff with years in the department are leaving in droves. The prisons are losing experienced officers in a time when that experience is crucial to deal with the coming unrest. It is known by all experienced staff and administration that the staffing crisis paired with the Missouri DOC smoking ban is going to lead to a perfect storm in the prison system. The result will likely be loss of life. Alana Boyles Director of the Division of Adult Institutions was reported as saying that she "doesn't care about longevity."

Obviously Administration doesn't care about losing experienced staff, because they save money on retirement pay by staffing the institutions with inexperienced new officers. The problem is that The Director should have some capacity to look beyond the purse strings to see that this is not the time to not care. when the system is crumbling and the writing is on the wall, the institutions need people with experience who have seen the violence of prison, not just 19-year-olds who were lied to by a recruiter.

Recruitment videos show how "great the department is" and all the "opportunity for advancement." What they don't so much say is the truth. Watch the video below and then let's look at the big problem with this disinformation campaign.




The happy picture the department paints is not surprising. After all, businesses will always try to look their best to prospective employees. it's understandable and it's the nature of business. The problem here is that they took the time to specify that it is "very safe." They are telling people that they can feel safe coming to work for corrections because it's just a swell place where nothing could go wrong and you'll make a great career out of it. Interestingly enough, while the department was trying to get more people to come work in this "safe happy environment," a female officer was stabbed in the head at North Eastern Correctional Center. This wasn't too long after another female officer was beaten by multiple offenders in another Missouri institution, which was not long after the same story happened at Jefferson City Correctional Center where a woman was almost murdered.

In the last month, fights, staff assaults and stabbings have increased while staff numbers have continued to drop. The Missouri Prison System is barely sustainable at this point. Institutions are stocking up on riot gear. The National Guard is on standby, but the department wants you to know "it's safe."

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