Northumberland County jail still short on guards

Francis Scarcella, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·2 min read
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Oct. 3—COAL TOWNSHIP — The Northumberland County jail continues to struggle to find employees and one guard said correctional officers are tired and frustrated.

Correctional Officer Alexandria Linn attended a recent job fair in Sunbury, with Warden Tom Reisinger and the two spoke about the ongoing issues at the jail.

"We are not getting paid enough," Linn said. "We are working long hours and we aren't being paid what we are worth."

Linn said she has worked at the jail for nearly four years. She said she loves the job but wants county officials to hear the cry for help.

"We need more officers," she said.

Reisinger said at full staff the jail should have about 80 guards. The current count is about half that, he said.

Earlier this year the jail declared a "state of emergency" because of the lack of guards. Commissioner Joe Klebon said he would not comment on the staffing issues because of security reasons.

"We are out there recruiting and trying to come up with ways to get people to apply," he said. "In this day and age, there are many jobs out there so we are having trouble competing with some of the places hiring right now."

Klebon said he, the warden and fellow commissioners are bouncing ideas around.

"We are brainstorming to see how to get people interested in the job," he said.

Reisinger said he is out advertising correctional officer positions and attending job fairs in order to promote the positions.

"We are doing everything we can," he said.

The starting pay is $14.50 per hour, he said.

Earlier this year county commissioners tried to put a program in place to allow employees who can fill unfilled prison posts to be hired at a higher wage at $20 to $25 an hour, but they will not have benefits or opportunities to work overtime. Those employees can only work a maximum of 20 hours per week. The ideal employee for these positions would be retired police officers, former police officers, retired military or retired prison guards from the state and federal systems, commissioners said.

The prison board meets on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Northumberland County Administration Building, on Stadium Drive.