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Alabama Department of Corrections Shares Recruitment & Retention Report
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (April 17, 2019) – The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) is pleased to share the comprehensive “Recruiting and Retaining Correctional Officers” report, compiled by third-party consultant Warren Averett. The ADOC contracted Warren Averett in 2017 to complete a thorough review of ADOC’s policies, practices and procedures related to recruiting and retaining correctional officers and to make recommendations for improvement.
Since receipt of the plan in late 2018, the ADOC has been working closely with Warren Averett and additional third-party experts to implement recommendations for improving recruitment and retention within Alabama’s prison system. With new strategies in place, the ADOC has seen significant progress, including the hiring of 47 new corrections officers in March 2019.
“The ADOC has been working diligently on the recommendations provided in the Warren Averett report,” said ADOC Commissioner Jeff Dunn. “We are pleased to be able to share the contents of this report and are excited to announce that the current ADOC Academy class is the largest since 2015. With this momentum, recruitment efforts are projected to generate a significant increase than seen in years past.”
The ADOC is pursuing new options to increase correctional officer staffing with ongoing collaboration with the Alabama Personnel Department. In addition, the ADOC has been working to pass legislation surrounding compensation, which would be extremely beneficial for hiring and retaining correctional staff.
“We recognize the magnitude and scope of the challenges our department faces, especially as the U.S. Department of Justice recently identified,” said Dunn. “We have been working tirelessly to implement actionable solutions to address these challenges – such as recruitment – but remain in a difficult position with limited resources that impacts the speed and intensity in which we address these systemic issues. With Governor Ivey leading the way, all stakeholders, including the state legislature and its leadership, the DOJ, and the advocacy community, must work together to form permanent and transformative solutions.”
The “Recruiting and Retaining Correctional Officers” report conducted by Warren Averett included, but was not limited to, a focus on the following six categories:
• Process Mapping
• Human Resources/Recruitment Analysis
• Compensations and Benefits Analysis
• Onboarding and Training Evaluation
• Working Conditions Evaluation
• Technology Overview
Updates on the status of the recruitment within the Alabama prison system will be provided by the ADOC as they are available.
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