Prisons in guarded condition

Idaho had to replace half the guards at its maximum-security prison in the past year at a time when state prison employees were flooding legislators with complaints.

A new state report examining the management of Idaho's prison system found morale low, workers dissatisfied and many fearful of retaliation if they complain.

But prison officials said turnover and job dissatisfaction are to be expected in the business of housing society's worst.

"These are really hard jobs - I mean difficult jobs," said Janet Jenkins, a Sandpoint attorney who serves on the three-member board that oversees the prison system.

Ralph Townsend, chairman of the Board of Correction, said he is committed to improving communication among the board, the Corrections Department's management and its employees. He has received substantial response to a pitch for e-mail from workers about problems.

When a joint legislative committee commissioned the report from the state Office of Performance Evaluations last spring, the office immediately was deluged with calls and letters from current and former prison workers. Director Nancy Van Maren said the office received 65 calls or letters "almost as soon as this evaluation was requested."

It then surveyed current and former prison employees and officials, examined lawsuits and grievances and brought in a team of management and statistical experts to look at the department's track record.

The report found that turnover has risen from 16 to 20 percent in the past three years, with higher rates among prison guards. The highest was at the maximum security prison, where overall turnover in the past year hit 37 percent, and the figure for guards went to 50 percent.

The report also found that seven out of 10 department employees were dissatisfied with their pay, and six of 10 feared retaliation if they talked openly about agency problems.

To address the problems, the audit called for improved communications; better training for supervisors; a study of pay and benefits at comparable prison systems in other states; examination of promotion policies to root out favoritism; and action to restore the credibility of the department's personnel office.

"I think it was aired well," said Sen. Marguerite McLaughlin, D- Orofino, who co-chairs the legislative committee. "We are concerned, and the department should be."

State Corrections Director Jim Spalding said turnover isn't always bad. Sometimes, turnover among prison guards means the department is effectively screening out those who really shouldn't be doing the job.

Plus, he said, "It's one of the only ways that the department is able to meet its payroll at the present time, as a result of the entry-level pay for people coming in as a result of the turnover rate."

But Spalding said he is concerned about the jump in turnover at the "Max" south of Boise, and plans to look into it.

Townsend said the state report erred in comparing Corrections Department turnover to that of other state departments, like Transportation and Health & Welfare. Better comparisons could be made with prison systems in other states, he said. At least 20 states have similar or higher turnover rates in their prison systems.

Townsend noted that in Arizona, a 30 percent turnover rate dropped to 19 percent when the state announced a new pay plan. Although low pay was cited by many employees in the surveys as a major cause of dissatisfaction, budgets for the past six years show the department has diverted millions from salaries to other prison expenses.

In 1993-94, about half a million dollars was turned back to the state treasury from unspent personnel funds, instead of being used for bonuses or other boosts for low-paid guards.

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