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STORY: Preparation of U.S. armed forces for possible action in Iraq could add to the shortage of correctional officers guarding Texas prisoners. Right now, the state faces a shortage of over 2,000 officers in security positions. That number could increase by fifty percent if officers employed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice are called up for duty by the Texas National Guard and Reserves. Department spokesperson, Larry Todd describes how prisoners will be affected if a call is made: "If we loose any more correctional officers there are some programs we'd have to reduce, and the biggest thing we would do is community service whereby we take offenders in to work with local governments for various work projects, like refurbishing football stadiums" Should a high number of officers be called up for duty, Todd says the effect for prisoners could be more severe than simply limiting work programs: "Other programs that if the worse case scenario would be keeping inmates in their cells because of [the] lack of security; we have to have a certain number of officers that work a particular cell block." With the officer shortage already in place, one guard can be put in charge of nearly 200 prisoners for an eight-hour shift, in a prison without air-conditioning. Texas Criminal Justice Reform Coalition is a grassroots organization with a focus on incarceration policies and practices. Program coordinator Eva Owens describes other impacts the officer shortage can have on prisoners: "It affects health care delivery when you don't have guards who can take inmates to go see the nurse or to go see the doctor. It effects visitation because there's not enough guards to staff visitation and inmates can't see their families. People may say who cares about that, tough luck, but family contact has been shown to be one of the best indicators we have, one of the best indicators of a successful reintegration into society."
Texas has the second-largest prison system in the nation, but ranks 46th in pay for correctional officers.
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