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DoC wants to hire 25 more officers
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Posted on Jul 30 2008
The Department of Corrections is seeking Gov. Benigno Fitial’s approval to fill several vacancies for Corrections officers in order for the department to effectively run the new prison in Susupe.
Department Commissioner Lino S. Tenorio said in an interview with the Saipan Tribune that, to operate the new prison at full capacity, at least 25 more officers are required. The shortage has come about after a seeming mass exodus from Corrections that has left the department short-handed.
“We hope to get the concurrence of the governor to allow us to get additional officers on board because we have several vacancies that need to be replaced,” Tenorio said.
Within two months of Fitial flashing the green light to fill the vacancies, the department can begin its training academy, the commissioner said.
“All it takes is a matter of making the announcement, setting it up for advertisement. Once they apply we will conduct our interviews, and start [the hiring process]” Tenorio said.
All adult inmates had been moved to the new prison by July 10 this year. The transfer has increased the square-footage of the prison, since it now sits on over 100,000 square feet of land, and has left the department with a notable manpower shortage.
Six Corrections officers recently resigned and two more, both members U.S. military reservists, were deployed to active duty and training. The department currently employs 85 to 87 corrections officers.
Correction officers work in three shifts. Twenty-two officers are required for a shift, making for a total of 66. Ten more officers are assigned to the administration office and to fulfill other duties.
Other officers are assigned to special escorts, court runs, hospital runs and special projects that are deemed necessary by the Governor’s Office.
The new prison opened in February and was built at a cost of $20.9 million. The CNMI was forced to construct the building under a consent decree signed with the U.S. Department of Justice after DOJ saw the deplorable conditions at the old prison.
During the opening, Tenorio underscored the importance of meeting the new prison’s personnel needs pursuant to the consent decree requirements.
The new prison can house as many 396 detainees.
