Addressing Staffing Challenges in Federal Prisons

Addressing Staffing Challenges in Federal Prisons
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Addressing Staffing Challenges in Federal Prisons
Indeed, it’s shocking to know that in 2019, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) had 6.7 million overtime hours, an equivalent of an additional 3,107 employees working full time (Trautman, 2022). Understaffing in federal prisons is a significant challenge that exacerbates other problems in correctional facilities. The primary purpose of the criminal justice system is to facilitate the rehabilitation of individuals, restore communities, and prevent future crimes. The low staffing levels at federal prisons make it challenging for inmates to participate in programs that might contribute to positive behavioral change. Some correctional facilities have an inadequate number of staff such that their daily operations are adversely affected. When federal prisons are understaffed, it means a lack of quick response to potential incidents that might occur, such as violence among prisoners. Moreover, the safety of the correctional officers and inmates is jeopardized since there is no adequate manpower to prevent possible threats. The paper has three primary sections in the body section. First, an overview of the staffing challenges in federal prisons will be discussed to explain why the problem is significant. Second, the proposed original correctional policy will illustrate how staffing challenges in the federal prison should be addressed. Third, the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed original correctional policy will be discussed. At this juncture, it will be clear whether the proposed policy will be effective in alleviating the issue at hand. Moreover, a concluding paragraph will recap the points about the significance of the proposed original policy. The staffing challenges in federal prisons can be addressed by implementing the Hire, Retain, and Motivate Prison Staff (HRMPS) policy.
Overview of Selected Correctional Issue
At the beginning of the financial year 2022, the BOP manages about 122 correctional facilities with approximately 37,834 employees manning 155,826 inmates (Trautman, 2022). According to Michael Carvajal, the director of BOP, the staffing challenge in federal prisons is a crisis that needs the implementation of proper measures to address it. The external and internal stakeholders have raised alarm about the shortage of employees at BOP, which has far-reaching consequences on the correctional facilities and the criminal justice system. The union that represents BOP staff has come out several times to denounce the extremely low staffing levels at BOP, which it termed a dangerous crisis. In particular, the BOP staffing shortage leads to other problems including increased violence in correctional facilities, staff and inmates’ safety concerns, and the lack of prisoners engaging in programs that might contribute to positive behavioral changes. In 2019, were it not for the 6.7 million overtime hours, it would have been difficult for BOP to function optimally. The number of overtime hours was equivalent to 3,107 full-time workers (Trautman, 2022). More than 4.7 millio...