Department of Corrections Offers Location Pay Differential Incentive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2018
Department of Corrections Offers Location Pay Differential Incentive

MONTGOMERY , Ala. - A portion of a $30 million supplemental appropriation lawmakers added to the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) 2018 budget will give a boost in compensation for many correctional officers, state prison officials announced today. Correctional officers employed at maximum and medium security prisons will receive a location pay differential effective July 1.

“Our correctional officers and security staff are on the front lines every day keeping the public safe under oftentimes dangerous conditions and they deserve to be adequately compensated for their service,” said ADOC Commissioner Jeff Dunn.

Most security employees assigned to maximum security facilities will receive a four-step, or 10 percent pay differential while those employed at medium security facilities will receive a two-step, or 5 percent pay differential. The location pay differentials will apply to correctional officers, correctional officer trainees, correctional supervisors, canine security staff and wardens.

Dunn said for too long correctional officers have been undercompensated when you compare starting salaries with other state law enforcement agencies. He added that the location pay differentials are designed to attract and retain highly skilled correctional officers and staff at maximum and medium security facilities of which most have staffing levels below 50 percent.

Before the pay differentials, an entry-level correctional officer with a high school diploma earned $28,516.80 compared to the starting salary of $35,589.60 for a state trooper with the same requisite education. The differentials will increase an entry-level correctional officer’s effective rate of pay to $31,368.48 at maximum security prisons and $29,942.64 at medium security facilities, allowing ADOC to offer more competitive effective rates of pay when compared to other state law enforcement agencies.

The location pay differential incentive will help ADOC’s recruitment and retention initiatives for major correctional facilities, leading to higher staffing levels and safer prisons for both employees and inmates.

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