THE Department of Corrections is short of manpower and has overworked officers with low morale, according to the desk audit conducted by the Office of Personnel Management in compliance with the fiscal year 2022 budget or Public Law 22-08.
OPM Director Frances Torres-Salas told Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez that the purpose of her report was to “identify areas of concern for the Department of Corrections requested by the CNMI House of Representatives.”
OPM interviewed 85 of the 95 Corrections personnel, including law enforcement and non-law enforcement officers.
According to the desk audit, every Corrections personnel interviewed expressed the need for additional manpower.
The manpower shortage has “created a bigger problem for the department. From exhaustion, burn-out, mental stress, illnesses caused by lack of rest, domestic-related issues, disciplinary issues within the department, and other personal-related issues.”
OPM stated that “the exhaustion is caused by working more than l6 hour shifts and at times having only one day or no days off.”
“This creates other issues with time and attendance,” OPM added.
The lack of Corrections officers, OPM said, “necessitated increased overtime.” The duties and responsibilities also increased drastically for all affected.
The daily scope of work includes administrative duties, Corrections duties, dispensing medications to inmates and performing 12 to 16 hours a day. The employees often incur up to 192 work hours bi-weekly, OPM said.
To alleviate the department’s manpower shortage, it is holding a Corrections Academy, and 39 cadets are anticipated to complete their training by the early part of October 2022.
OPM quoted the Corrections commissioner, Wally Villagomez, as saying that, “due to the manpower shortage, it is necessary that all Corrections officers perform work overtime until such time that new recruits complete the Corrections Academy training.”
The commissioner also told OPM that the department averages $30,000 to $50,000 in overtime per pay period. The average work hours for a Correction officer are between 12.5 hours and l6 hours per day for a six-day work period. This results in 64 hours up to 106 hours of overtime per Corrections officer per pay period for 47 officers.
Other findings
There are also concerns regarding poor communications with Corrections management and inconsistent decision-making from the upper management, the audit report stated.
The effects of poor communication, the report said, “at times cause tensions to rise, resulting in a potential conflict between employees.”
Moreover, “there have been numerous concerns indicating low morale within the department especially with regard to relations with upper management.”
In addition, there is a lack of professional training for some Corrections officers and internal affairs personnel who are supposedly responsible for the investigation and review of all allegations of misconduct by employees of the department.
According to the desk audit, “The Department has well-written processes in place for Internal Affairs personnel to respond to reported incidents. However, leadership may have to take a stronger approach to be consistent with the recommended disciplinary action,” the report said.
Recommendations
OPM recommends the establishment of baseline communication standards. “Poor communication in the workplace creates lower productivity because employees do not have access to the people, knowledge, and resources that help them do their jobs, and don’t have the passion and motivation to perform well or exceed expectations,” the report said.
OPM also recommends that the counselor’s office be placed “in a neutral location or outsource counselors for officers not based in the facility to avoid the stigma. An alternative is to provide counseling through a 24-hour hotline number so that officers can feel more confident when speaking.”
OPM likewise recommends that Corrections provide more professional training related to the work of the Corrections officers.
OPM also recommends emergency medical technician training for all officers dealing with inmates and detainees.
OPM said Corrections should provide constant training to help its officers deal with mental health issues.
