TDCJ proposes 10 percent pay hike for guards

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has asked the state legislature for a 10 percent pay hike in the wake of continued turnover among corrections officers, a problem that has plagued the state's prison system for nearly a decade.

Increasing guard pay is "certainly something we're working on," TDCJ spokesman Jason Clark said. "We realize that's one of the most difficult jobs in all of state government."

The legislature in the last session OK'd a five percent pay raise, which did not stop the constant turnover.

And a TDCJ bonus program designed to draw new recruits to rural prisons has had mixed results.

You can see our investigation into that bonus system here.

Starting prison guards make just $29,200 a year as a starting salary.

Just to give that some perspective, that means a single mom with two kids who takes the job is eligible for WIC nutrition grants. Others are eligible for food stamps.

And as it stands right now, that same guard can work in the prison system 10 more years and never make more than $38,800, which is the pay ceiling for the rank-and-file guard.

Perhap it's not surprising that 8,327 employees left the TDCJ in just 2013 alone.

Lance Lowry, a correctional officer who also heads the local American Federation of State County Municipal Employees union representing prison guards said that higher pay is critical to keep prison employees on the job.

Higher pay in the oil-fields because of the oil boom is one reason better pay is needed, Lowry said. He also points to higher pay in every major Sheriff's Department, such as Travis, Dallas and Harris counties.

Lowry also said that more than just a higher wage is needed. He wants better training and better screening, too. Many guards are woefully unprepared for working in a prison.

"It's like walking into a convection oven with a rock concert going on," he said. "It's hell on earth."

That high turnover rate creates another problem. The officers who stay on the job must put in longer hours, and the lower guard-to-inmate ratio means more violence among prisoners.

Here is the link to the TDCJ appropriations request to the legislature asking for the salary bump.

Here is the link to a report from the union about employee turnover.

Here is a chart created by the union about attacks on guards in prisons.

What else should we be looking at? We can be reached on Facebook, Twitter and through our online tip line to the right of the video above.