West Virginia’s Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation continues to face a challenge experienced by many private employers: staffing shortages and pay rates that haven’t been able to keep up with inflation.

David Kelly, commissioner of the DCR, reported to lawmakers this week that as of July there were still 410 vacancies of uniformed and non-uniformed personnel, with 223 vacancies of correctional officers across all facilities.

“Salaries remain a big detriment to (recruitment),” Kelly said. “The pay is critical. If they get a raise, it would certainly help. … We’ve, in fact, had some non-uniformed personnel transfer over to uniformed personnel simply because they got paid better.”

The difference between most employers in the state and the DCR is that staffing shortages don’t result in a legitimate state of emergency or require the deployment of the West Virginia National Guard to help keep things running smoothly (and safely) at prisons, regional jails, juvenile centers and work-release sites.

Progress has been made. According to Kelly there have been 1,000 newly trained correctional officers since January 2024, though it is not yet clear how many of them have been retained. And Kelly remains hopeful because of the employees who are on the job and doing their best to keep up with the workload.

“I’m proud of them, every one of them,” he told lawmakers. “They represent building blocks for continued progress. I want us to continue to be foundational and build on that which is already there. With your continued support, we will ensure our correctional system remains safe, that it remains effective and focused on preparing people for a better future.”

“With (lawmakers’) continued support.” That is the key. Staffing issues are just one of the challenges faced by Kelly’s department, and it will be up to the legislature to ensure it has access to the resources it needs to overcome them.