Corrections Community

Does your state have mandatory minimum officer to inmate ratios?  If so what are they. 

I am from MD and on my shift at my state prison we are out numbered. We have approx 60 officers watching nearly 3,000 inmates. So I guess we don't have any mandatory minimums.

In the state of Wisconsin for juvenile detention facilites, we have a mandatory ratio of 1 officer per 15 inmates.  In the juvenile portion of a county jail, it is 1 officer per 30 inmates.

I'm in Texas and our ratio is 1 per 48 inmates in our county Jial , and 1 per. 100 in  our state prisons.

I, Too am from Maryland and work in a large facility with aproximately 3,000 inmates. We have generally 1 oficer to 1 teir of inmates( around 70 to 100 inmates per officer) so I would say we are diffently out numbered. At this rate, no wonder officers are getting keilled and assualted in our state!

I dont know if there are any specific inmate to officer ratios in Arkansas we have open bay barracks (3 levels, Upper tier and Lower tier  55 inmates and the middle tier dayroom).  We have 1 officer watching 2 barracks at a time so max is 110 per officer.  We have a rover or a housing sergeant that comes to assist the barracks officer with security checks every half hour. 

 

If you count all the officers in the facility we have around 16 Officers (23 when all positions are filled and everyone is at work), 4 Sergeants and a Leiutenant on shift with about 550 inmates.  Best case we have 28 to 550=19 to 1.  Most of the time it is more like 15 to 500 = 33 to 1.

 

Yes, we are out numbered but like a wise old Corrections Officer said to me "They let us be in charge.  If they want to take over  they can,  for awhile".

I don't know if there is a standard in Wisconsin, but I have never seen it in writing. At our facility the ratio is 45 inmates (average) to 3 officers per shift, which works out to 15:1. That has increased since they took away my 4th officer in 2002 for budgetary reasons.

In the Jial we have 100 male inmates for 2 officers and 1 Cpl. which works out good !!

IAM IN GEORGIA  AT THE PRISON I WORK AT IN THE 2 MAN CELLS IT IS 1 OFFICER PER 100 INMATES AND IN THE OPEN PODS IT IS 350 PER 2 OFFICERS.WE HAVE AROUND 32 OFFICERS ON NIGHTS COMPARED TO 1,820 INMATES WE ARE VERY MUCH OUT NUMBERED. AND IT IS NOT GOING TO GET BETTER.I DON'T THINK THERE IS A RATIO .

IAM IN GEORGIA  AT THE PRISON I WORK AT IN THE 2 MAN CELLS IT IS 1 OFFICER PER 100 INMATES AND IN THE OPEN PODS IT IS 350 PER 2 OFFICERS.WE HAVE AROUND 32 OFFICERS ON NIGHTS COMPARED TO 1,820 INMATES WE ARE VERY MUCH OUT NUMBERED. AND IT IS NOT GOING TO GET BETTER.I DON'T THINK THERE IS A RATIO .

IAM IN GEORGIA  AT THE PRISON I WORK AT IN THE 2 MAN CELLS IT IS 1 OFFICER PER 100 INMATES AND IN THE OPEN PODS IT IS 350 PER 2 OFFICERS.WE HAVE AROUND 32 OFFICERS ON NIGHTS COMPARED TO 1,820 INMATES WE ARE VERY MUCH OUT NUMBERED. AND IT IS NOT GOING TO GET BETTER.I DON'T THINK THERE IS A RATIO .

Hello, which institution in Maryland do you work at?  I work in Maryland also with nearly the same odds.

 

Pebs 

I work at MCTC in Hagerstown,MD

There is no mandatory officer-inmate ratios in California jails.

Lieutenant Craig Wilson

Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, California

I'm trying to find information, trends, statistics, etc... to support an increase in staffing levels. I posted a question a few days ago. So far I haven't gotten much of a response. It seems like staffing issues are nationwide. No one wants to commit to mandatory staffing levels. Our system is based on the number of post within the facility. Here is the flaw....a single post (Housing Unit), may be responsible for hundreds of inmates. If anyone out there has a unique or inovative way to deal with this issue, please help. 

You can download the publication, "Staffing Analysis Workbook for Jails" from the NIC webpage.  This publication will give you an excellent idea of how to appropriately staff your facility.

In Santa Cruz, there is a fixed number of positions per posts, similar to what you describe. If and when the inmate population reaches certain pre-designated levels an extra officer works to augment minimum staffing levels. We have two of those high population levels designated.

 

Lieutenant Craig Wilson

Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, California