The Illinois Department of Corrections says it increased the number of correctional officers by nearly 500 last year. The agency says that’s helped drive down overtime costs.
Department of Corrections spokeswoman Nicole Wilson says after accounting for attrition through resignation, retirements and dismissals, the agency has increased staffing in 2015 by a net 468 correctional officers. Wilson says, through Nov. 30, the department had hired 1,114 new trainees.
According to The Southern Illinoisan, Wilson says the department has reduced overtime payouts by nearly $10 million between November 2014 and November 2015.
But Anders Lindall, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, says that even with the increase, staff levels are well below where they need to be. Lindall says currently, there are less than 11,000 employees in the state’s prison system. That’s down from 17,000 in 2002.
