Local correctional officer's pay is getting a boost along with the Department of Health Services, after a $3 wage increase announced March 11 by the Governor's office and set to run through June 17, 2023 will see starting pay at the Stanley Correctional Institution go from $19.89 per hour, to $22.89 per hour, with time and a half for overtime hours worked.

Classed as “Supplemental pay for high vacancy adult correctional institutions” in the State of Wisconsin Compensation Plan 2021– 2023” passed in December, the initial ask was for a $5 increase, rather than $3. Still, the pay should help address long-standing vacancy issues at both state correctional and other agencies, which compete for labor on the free market.

“The total wage will be different among employees depending on how long they have been there, where they are in the pay progression,” Stanley Correctional Institution Director of Communications John Beard related of the local impact. “But I can tell you it impacts all Correctional Officers and Sergeants, Youth Counselors and Youth Counselors-Advanced, Supervising Officer and Supervising Youth Counselor classes, and Corrections Program Supervisors. It is a sizeable portion of DOC staff and a $53 million investment in DOC em- ployees.”

“As an example, Stanley Correctional has more than 200 Correctional Officer positions and a little over 50 Correctional Sergeant positions,” Beard shared. With pay currently up by 37 percent from $16.65 per hour since State Department of Corrections Secretary Kevin Carr came in back in 2019, Beard said that the administration of Governor Tony Evers had been committed to taking steps to reduce the vacancy rates at state prisons.

“This administration has taken many steps to try and address vacancy rates, which have gotten worse since early 2021, including TV and radio ads, increased use of social media, truck wraps,” he said. And recently, Governor Evers signed legislation that will allow our agency to start advertising on billboards. We’ve also taken steps to increase retention, such as a 15-hundred-dollar referral bonus pro gram.” At the same time, it was a free market environment with potential employees having many choices.

“But we are competing with other business and agencies – in both the public and private sector – for qualified workers," Beard said. "We believe providing more-competitive pay is one of the most important steps we can take in recruiting more employees and retaining the ones we have.”

The sign at Stanley Correctional Institution off Highway X.