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Pay hike for guards needed to reduce contraband smuggling

At a Senate committee meeting today Texas legislators were told that understaffing and low guard pay were primary causes of the flood of contraband in Texas prisons, combined with a lack of phone access for inmates to keep in touch with their families. Improved phone access is already coming, but boosting pay will require legislative action. As Texas heads into the 81st legislative session, TDCJ officials have requested an eye-popping 20% pay hike for prison employees to stem its chronic understaffing problems.In that context, I was interested to see PacoVilla's Corrections Blog recently lamenting possible pay cuts for California prison guards because of that state's budget crisis (coupled with looming federal court judgments). California guards are the highest paid in the nation, and interestingly, the main argument Paco offers in favor of high pay is reduced contraband smuggling by guards:Notwithstanding the utter scorn the media has for California CPO's, even our harshest critics must acknowledge the effect high wages have had on staff involved contraband trafficking...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on October 21, 2008 (boomark / email).