MDOC offers salary raises, increases benefits in effort to hire more prison officers

Joshua Williams, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·2 min read

The Mississippi Department of Corrections is seeking to hire more officers with a 10% increase in salaries and benefits, the MDOC said in press release.

Commissioner Burl Cain said the top priority at MDOC is offering quality candidates opportunities to move up fast in both careers and pay scales.

"This substantial salary increase will help us attract people who will really invest back into our vision and goal for what MDOC will become," Cain said in the press statement. "This is the first step of many in ramping up our recruiting efforts.”

With recruitment moving forward, various positions are currently open including corporal officers, sergeants, captains, and majors the press release states. Each position contains different education and experience requirements.

Burl Cain, commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections
Burl Cain, commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections

In addition, a retirement plan, medical, dental, and vision insurance are all-inclusive for full-time employees, MDOC said in the statement. Paid on-the-job training, vacation and sick leave also are among the benefits.

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The starting salary for a corporal officer now starts at $36,000; a sergeant starts at $40,000; a captain starts at over $42,000 and a major starts at $47,000, the press release states. Benefits packages can range from about $17,000 to over $20,000 each year. MDOC has put a heavy focus on recruiting and training as the department continues to make improvements.

"The new salary increase comes on the heels of other increases at MDOC since Jan. 1, 2022," MDOC said in the press release.

Cain said upon hiring new correctional officers the workforce will become a safer environment.

“We’ve worked nonstop for over two years to get these increases approved,” Cain said in the press release, “and now we have them to the benefit of our workforce and to the public at large because as we hire and train more officers, our prisons become safer. We are focused on creating a positive work culture where honest, hardworking people want to come and be a part of a new MDOC focusing on constant improvements. Good employees are the foundation of a positive environment for everyone.”

Interested candidates should email mdocrecruitment@mdoc.state.ms.us to learn more.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MDOC ramps up recruiting efforts with higher pay for officers