Volusia corrections officer says staffing is dangerously low, county disagrees

Staffing levels at Volusia County's jail facilities are critically low, according to a union official, and the situation has made an already hazardous and stressful job even worse.

"This is the most dangerous I've ever seen it since I've been here," said Senior Corrections Officer John Miranda, who has been with the county since 2002, aside from a brief retirement from 2016-2018.

Miranda is the acting communications officer for the Volusia Corrections Association #6034. The union estimates that the county's jail facilities are short around 70 officers, he said. The county puts the number at about half that and is unaware of any complaints about unsafe conditions.

"We absolutely disagree with the characterization that the conditions of the jail are unsafe for either the inmates or staff," Volusia County government spokesman Michael Ryan said.

Union members seek higher pay

The county manages inmates in two facilities at a government complex off International Speedway Boulevard. One is the Volusia County Correctional Facility at 1354 N. Indian Lake Road, which handles most county-sentenced inmates, "low custody non-sentenced males" and women, according to the county. The other is the Volusia County Branch Jail at 1300 Red John Road.

The average daily inmate population for both facilities total is 1,291, according to Ryan. The facilities are designed to hold about 1,500 inmates, according to county reports.

The county has 272 staff members in the Corrections Division, and 193 of those are corrections officers, officer trainees, captains, sergeants, lieutenants and wardens, according to Ryan.

Corrections officers are seeking higher pay and better conditions as part of their contract negotiations. Key issues include the amount of overtime hours officers work to make up for the lack of staff. Officers also raised concerns about the issue during negotiations in 2021.

'It's going to happen'

Miranda said the corrections officers respond well to incidents. But he said inmates are aware of the staffing shortage, and he said he's concerned that a situation will arise where more corrections officers are needed than available.

"There have been a couple multiple codes (incidents) here and there that we had enough people to respond. But that's the big question. I believe it's not a matter of when. It's going to happen, the big one, which is going to be a really bad code and where there's going to be a point we don't have staff," Miranda said. "It's going to happen."

Higher-ranking officers are being called on more by rank-and-file corrections officers for help because of the staff shortage, Miranda said.

"They're also overworked," he said.

County officials say the division needs 36 officers to be considered fully staffed with the current level of inmates, according to Ryan.

"The division presently utilizes overtime to fill shifts amidst ongoing recruiting endeavors," according to Ryan.

A persistent problem

The staffing shortage issue isn't new. The county had 29 vacant corrections officer positions as of Aug. 30, 2021.

Florida jails have to meet Florida Model Jail Standards, which "are minimum standards" to make sure people's constitutional rights are upheld while they are incarcerated, according to the Florida Sheriffs Association.

The standards say that jails have to have enough staff "so that at all times inmates within the detentionfacility will be within sight or hearing distance of a correctional officer." Jails can use electronic surveillance to meet that requirement.

The county is working to find new people, including by participating in job fairs and other outreach efforts, Ryan said.

The corrections division has undergone some changes in leadership recently.

The Corrections Division's new director, Joseph DeMore, is scheduled to start Monday. He was the warden for Butler County Prison in Pennsylvania. His Volusia County salary is $148,000.

'Warehoused'? Volusia corrections director says about 1/3 or more of inmates have mental health issues

Miranda said finding people to do the job is a challenge, as is getting them to stay. Other less stressful jobs offer good pay. He said he enjoys the work and came back in part for the health benefits.

Second thoughts

"I am grateful that the county hired me back, but looking now ... I do wonder, 'Did I make the right decision?' I don't know," he said. "It came at a price. And for a lot of the new people that are starting there, they can see they're going to be paying the price. And I think that's why they're probably leaving."

The county is offering $21.32 for certified corrections officers and starting pay of $19.10 an hour for corrections officer trainees.

In addition to drawing in new workers, pay for senior officers is also a concern as wages for starting employees rise to keep pace with the demand for workers.

Senior Corrections Officer Harvey Sutton aired his concerns about pay publicly during a recent contract negotiation meeting at county headquarters in DeLand.

Sutton said he's been working with the county for about 20 years, but the loyalty he has shown by staying with Volusia County is not being rewarded with regular pay increases, he said.

A slap in the face

The nature of the job is demanding. Sutton said he's missed holidays, family time, and big events because he had to work. He and other senior officers train the new recruits.

"It's a slap in the face for somebody to come in off the street, to come in making $2 less than me and I've been there 20 years," Sutton said during the meeting.

He said that people who just became senior officers after several years are making what he does, which is over $51,000 a year before taxes.

Jeff Mandel, outside counsel for the county, told Sutton that the labor market keeps pushing the county to raise starting pay, and there's not enough money to commit to a corresponding pay increase for everyone on staff.

"It's an issue everywhere, and all I can say is that we're trying our best," Mandel said.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: A Volusia corrections officer says jail staffing is dangerously low