The 50-state analysis shows consistent patterns of workforce strain across departments of corrections. Vacancy, turnover, and safety data point to systems stretched thin and in need of sustained attention.
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Departments of corrections are contending with a shrinking workforce and rising demands. A national labor shortage, competition from other public safety jobs, and the remote locations of many prisons make it difficult to recruit and retain officers.
Staffing challenges in state departments of corrections have wide-ranging consequences because these agencies employ a large share of the state workforce and touch the lives of millions of people nationwide.
More than one million people are incarcerated in state prisons on any given day. As a result, staffing shortages affect millions of people, including corrections officers, incarcerated individuals, and their families.
Source: Safe Inside Report (33 states with available data)
Assaults on Staff and Incarcerated People per 1,000, 2019–2024
Data includes Alabama, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin
Source: Safe Inside Report (Appendix C)
Deaths in State Prisons, 2019–2024 Mortality
Rate per 1,000 Incarcerated People (12 States)
Data includes Alabama, Alaska, California, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, New York, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin
Source: Safe Inside Report (Appendix C)
Rates of Workplace Violence by Job Type
Incidents per 1,000 Workers (Aged 16+), 2015–2019
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2022
As departments struggle to fill vacant positions, states have increasingly relied on overtime to maintain prison operations, driving substantial and growing fiscal costs.
Overtime Costs Have Doubled or More in Many DOCs
Percent Change in Overtime Expenditures, FY2019–FY2024
Source: Safe Inside Report (26 states with available data)
Overtime Costs Have Doubled or More in Many DOCs
Percent Change in Overtime Expenditures, FY2019–FY2024
Source: Safe Inside Report (24 states with available data)
States have raised corrections officer pay, but salaries still lag far behind other law enforcement. On average, corrections officers earn about $21,000 less per year than police officers.
Some departments have lowered vacancy rates, only to see them rise again.
Turnover remains high. Across 23 states, about one in six corrections employees leave their jobs each year. This churn keeps pressure on recruitment and training.
Staffing shortages continue to make headlines in many states, showing that even with higher pay and new initiatives, the workforce remains unstable and needs sustained attention.
State departments of corrections face a dual challenge. They must rebuild a stable workforce while continuing to operate safe, well-run facilities. Addressing this challenge starts with ensuring leaders have timely, reliable data about their workforce and the conditions inside facilities. This information is essential to designing effective recruitment and retention strategies.
Better data can inform staffing decisions, but the path forward cannot focus only on hiring more officers. State leaders must also consider how to reduce demands on existing staff and operate more efficiently. Safe Inside is designed to elevate data, highlight shared challenges across states, and create space for learning and collaboration around what it takes to build safer, more stable corrections systems.
