New York Urgently Needs Correctional Officers in State Prisons

The need for New York State Correctional Officers is growing rapidly and the fate of local prisons in Oneida County are at stake.

The Commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Dan Martuscello and New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association Central Region Vice President Bryan Hluska joined WIBX Friday morning to discuss the recruitment campaign currently underway for new officers.

Benefits of Working for the New York State DOCCS

There are immeasurable benefits when it comes to working as a correctional officer for the state. You do have to be a minimum of 21-years-old to be hired in this position, but a starting salary in this role can range anywhere from $56,465 to $89,072. There are other financial incentives available such as:

• Pre-Shift Briefing ($4,175 per year)
• Expanded Duty Pay ($2,900 per year)
• Hazardous Duty Pay ($1,875 per year after one year of service)
• Inconvenience Pay ($2,006 per year)

What other job pays you for being inconvenienced? There are also a ton of other benefits like affordable and expansive health coverage, a generous retirement pension and other long term residual benefits.

The Future of Oneida County Depends on You

One of the threats Governor Kathy Hochul has consistently made is the possible closure of state prisons. In fact, Commissioner Martuscello announced just two weeks ago the closure of two prisons, one in Washington County and the other in Sullivan County. The Commissioner says this years state budget allowed for the closure of five. Will one of the three in our region be on the chopping block? Martuscello says,

Really what was behind that is the critical staffing shortage that we've been experiencing, which really is the national problem. I'm part of the national conversation, bringing awareness and recruitment. Also, side by side we do have excess capacity. Our population is down 54% from its high in 1999. So while staffing is driving this, we have the ability to downsize because the population has decreased. 

He mentioned the fate of Oneida Counties prisons is really up to the efforts of this recruitment campaign. It is possible the three other prisons that have been budgeted to close may not, if they can be properly staffed.

You Can Stay Close to Home

In the past, one of the drawbacks for joining New York State Corrections is the inability to be assigned to a prison close to home and family. That is not the case anymore. With the "CNY 200 Initiative," 200 recruits for a limited time will have the opportunity to sign up and be placed directly in the Central New York region.

Of course there are certain dangers associated with this job and it is not an easy one, but there are several rewarding factors as well. If you're looking for something challenging, that makes a difference and can reward you over many years consider joining The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Your community is counting on you.

To sign up and get more information visit:

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/6Id6LXz