Prison Guard Salary Gap Soars to $400 a Month Just as Juvenile Lockups Grapple With Latest Abuse Scandal

DALLAS — Texas is increasing the starting salaries of correctional officers in adult jails and prisons, widening the pay gap between these guards and those who work in juvenile facilities.The increased pay differential comes as the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, which oversees the state's five secure lockups for kids, struggles with record high staff turnover amid investigations into facility conditions and guard misconduct. Union leaders are happy about the pay bump for guards in adult prisons. But they worry the monthly pay gap between new juvenile and adult correctional officers — now up to $400 a month — will incentivize guards at youth facilities to quit."TJJD already has the highest turnover," Seth Hutchison, organizing coordinator for the Texas State Employees Union, said Friday. "Employees are going to be walking."  Continue reading...