Press Release: Corrections Officer Recruits Graduate Today
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Michigan Corrections Organization
July 27, 2018
Contact: Anita Lloyd, 517-485-3310 ext. 121, anita@mco-seiu.org
Press Release: Corrections Officer Recruits Graduate Today
600 more COs to be hired to address dire CO shortage
Sixty corrections officer recruits graduate today from the Michigan Department of Corrections Training Academy. The new COs start work Monday at prisons around Michigan’s lower peninsula and, as part of law enforcement, will play a vital role in keeping inmates and communities safe.
Sixteen others will also graduate today from a special recruit class that will work at Women’s Huron Valley in Ypsilanti. More than a dozen other recruits graduate Aug. 10 to serve prisons in the upper peninsula.
“Corrections officers spend more time with inmates than any other staff, and therefore are a key part of prisoner safety and rehabilitation,” said Ray Sholtz, Vice President of Michigan Corrections Organization. “They are professionals who don’t get a lot of public recognition, even though they have an immense level of responsibilities and work in a hostile environment.”
These CO recruits are joining the MDOC at a precarious time. Due to a dire shortage of corrections officers, many COs are forced to work 16-hour days two or more days a week. More than 600 CO positions are vacant. Prisons around the U.S. are facing a staffing crisis, which has contributed to prisoner unrest.
Due to Michigan’s shortage of corrections officers, MDOC is continuing to hire for prisons across Michigan. Applicants must have a high school diploma and at least 15 college credits in certain subjects. Minimum requirements may be waived for U.S. military service. To learn more about how you can become a corrections officer, visit www.michigan.gov/mdocjobs.