South Carolina’s Department of Corrections faces staff shortage with no new funding

(WCIV) — It’s unprecedented. Zero new funding to hire more correctional officers and security personnel.

Zero funding for a brand new contraband cell phone termination program inside the prisons.

However, the South Carolina Department of Corrections Director Bryan Stirling said he’s just getting started.

“This is just the first quarter,” Stirling said. “We’re not at halftime yet. And we’ve made them aware, and they’ve been responsive. I think they trust what we’re doing over here. They see the results.”

Stirling said the prisons have a 33% staff vacancy rate. But he said that’s a success story.

“We hired over 300 people in six months, which is historically what they gave us is worked,” Stirling said.

But without more funding, there are no job hires. And currently, nearly 422 corrections jobs are waiting to be filled.

“This is just the first quarter,” Stirling said. “We’re not at halftime yet. And we’ve made them aware, and they’ve been responsive. I think they trust what we’re doing over here. They see the results.”

Stirling said the prisons have a 33% staff vacancy rate. But he said that’s a success story.

“We hired over 300 people in six months, which is historically what they gave us is worked,” Stirling said.

But without more funding, there are no job hires. And currently, nearly 422 corrections jobs are waiting to be filled.