Is Missouri DOC Better Than it Was 5 Years Ago?
It has been more than 5 years since Missouri DOC came under new management. With a new Director and quite a bit of "house cleaning," the idea was to replace the "good ol' boy system" with something better. At least that was the sales pitch. It is worth noting that turnover at many Missouri prisons went up significantly after the change in leadership. This includes seasoned staff who had spent many years working within the institution walls. With so many jumping ship, it certainly did not appear that the new management was well received. Supporters of the change would argue that it's all part of "cleaning house" and that the institutions were improving. Let's take a look at some of what has transpired in the last few years. On the positive side, pay for corrections officers went up significantly. However, it seems that this was the only way they could keep the prisons staffed. Understaffing has been a huge issue for the department