(WHTM) – The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections says the minimum age to be a Corrections Officer Trainee is being lowered to 18 years old.

Previously, applicants needed to be 21 years old to be hired for the trainee position.

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The Department says the change “aligns the corrections officer classification with other DOC positions and with approximately 25 other states that hire corrections officers at the age of 18.”

Applicants must still pass medical and background screenings for hiring.

The change comes as the state battles low staffing levels across corrections facilities and in local jails highlighted by the escapes of Danelo Cavalcante in Chester County and Michael Burham in Warren County last year.

Escaped inmate, Danelo Cavalcante faces new charges

In January, State Rep. Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford) said he plans to introduce legislation that would end the residency requirement to improve staffing numbers in state prisons.

“Limiting the ability to hire qualified workers just because of where they live would never work in business and it’s not working for the Commonwealth,” said Owlett. “This commonsense legislation is necessary to ensure that the security of our prisons is not compromised and to ensure we are not burning out our current officers.”

Owlett pointed to four facilities (SCI Somerset, SCI Chester, SCI Waymart and SCI Phoenix) as potential options for out-of-state employees. All four facilities are within 40 miles from either the New York, New Jersey, or Maryland borders

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SCI Albion is less than 10 miles from the Ohio border and SCI Fayette is also about an hour from the West Virginia and Ohio borders.

State officials have long sought ways to fill staffing gaps in state corrections facilities.

In November 2023 the Department of Corrections announced that non-Pennsylvania residents are eligible to apply to SCI Greene, which is within 15 miles of the West Virginia border and 30 miles of the Ohio border.

Lawmakers also introduced five bills to address escapees, including one that would allow state prison corrections officers to fill vacant shifts in local prisons. The bill, introduced by State Rep. Sheryl Delozier (R-Cumberland), has not yet faced a vote.

The Department of Corrections declined to comment on Owlett’s sponsorship memo and said they would review the bill when it is filed.

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