It’s true, correctional officer training classes are the largest they’ve ever been

Wisconsin’s prisons have been making big headlines over the last year for their lockdowns, rodent infestations and soaring staffing shortages.

In an effort to improve prison conditions and attract more staff, state lawmakers passed a pay raise for state employees last summer that boosted starting wages for corrections officers to $33 an hour. Wages could be as high as $41 an hour depending on location and shift.

During a Feb. 11, 2024 appearance on the “UPFRONT” program on WISN 12 News, Gov. Tony Evers claimed the pay raise is helping attract more people to the profession and producing record-high officer training classes.

“We're having the largest classes of correctional officers we've ever had before,” Evers said.

However, Evers acknowledges that large class sizes haven’t yet solved the staffing shortages, saying “We’re getting there.”

According to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, its training program for correctional officers has seen a spike in graduates over the past six months.

But is Evers correct that recent classes have been the largest ever? And, since Evers suggested they were making a major dent in shortages, we’ll touch on how the graduates stack up against soaring high vacancy rates.

Correctional officer training program sees increased graduates

Those interested in becoming correctional officers have to undergo a six-week training academy called the Facility Staff Training and Support Program before they can start security work at prisons across the state.

The program is held at the DOC’s training center in Madison or at local academies, which currently are held at Green Bay Correctional Institution and Dodge Correctional Institution.

A graduation ceremony on Feb. 21 at Madison College for newly-certified corrections officers had 214 graduates, according to the DOC.

In a press release from the DOC, Secretary Kevin Carr said that was the department’s largest graduating class since at least 1981. The previous graduating class on Dec. 15 had 144 graduates.

Graduate numbers have been on the rise. In 2023, the state saw 568 graduates from multiple training classes, and in 2022, the total was 285 graduates, according to the DOC.

DOC data shows staffing shortages shrinking

Staffing vacancies for all state prisons reached a peak of 35% last August and have since been trending down, according to DOC data.

Shortages have been especially tight at Waupun and Green Bay Correctional Institutions, where inmates' movement has been limited since March and June because of low staffing.

After the pay raise went into effect in October, vacancies started trending down and currently sit at 26%.

But that is still a relatively high vacancy rate for the prisons. Pre-pandemic rates consistently sat around 15% and didn’t go above 20%.

In Evers’ interview, he mentions the pay bump has helped statewide staffing shortages, but in places like Waupun—where the vacancy rate is 56%—is still struggling.

Our ruling

During a TV interview, Evers claimed pay raises for correctional officers had led to “the largest classes of correctional officers we've ever had before.”

The governor acknowledged that conditions aren’t perfect yet and there’s still needed work to solve prison and staffing conditions.

In February, the DOC graduated its largest training class to date with 214 graduates and the last class had 144 graduates.

And as graduating classes increase, staffing shortages at state prisons are trending down after hitting its peak last summer.

We rate this claim True.

Sources

WISN 12 News, “UPFRONT: Gov. Evers on maps, bills and WI prisons,” Feb. 11, 2024.

Email exchange, Tony Evers’ Communication Director Britt Cudaback, Feb. 26, 2024.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “10 guards, 900 inmates: Wisconsin prisons see dire results of ignored warnings,” Feb. 3, 2024.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “After months of outcry, Gov. Tony Evers and DOC move to lift restrictions and increase staff in Wisconsin prisons,” Nov. 14, 2023.

PBS Wisconsin, “Wisconsin Republicans approve pay raise for corrections officers, other state employees,” June 23, 2023.

Email exchange, Wisconsin Department of Corrections Director of Communication Beth Hardtke, Feb. 29, 2024.

Wisconsin Department of Corrections, “Staffing Vacancies,” Accessed Feb. 26, 2024.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Gov. Tony Evers claimed correctional officer training classes are at a record high