Why SC corrections chief wants $1,500 pay bump for officers

South Carolina’s Corrections chief is once again pushing for a raise for his staffers in hopes that it can help him get more officers into prisons.

Bryan Stirling, director of the S.C. Department of Corrections, asked for a $1,500 pay raise for his corrections officers during his budget request to a House’s budget-writing subcommittee on Tuesday. The request comes after the Legislature approved a $1,500 pay bump during the 2016 session, which boosted starting base pay to $26,375.

“The raise has definitely helped,” Stirling said. “We realize that we have a deficit in hiring, and we’re doing everything we can to address it.”

Stirling told members of the panel that the 2016 pay boost helped the agency attract more candidates. SCDC has been struggling to recruit and retain corrections officers, and officials have long attributed it to the pay. Entry-level jobs at SCDC are among the lowest-paid law enforcement jobs in the state.

He added that the agency has taken other steps to address recruitment and retention; at least nine staffers have been assigned to finding out why officers are leaving. The agency is also allowing officers to make overtime pay.

SCDC’s request has to go through several panels before it can be approved with the state’s roughly $8 billion budget by the end of session in May.

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 10:57 AM with the headline "Why SC corrections chief wants $1,500 pay bump for officers."