The Kansas Department of Corrections said Monday that improvements in staffing levels will allow a return to eight-hour shifts for security staff at the El Dorado Correctional Facility.
Several disturbances have been reported the prison over the past couple of years, and a public employees union reported low staff levels.
The Department of Corrections said uniformed staff vacancies at El Dorado have been reduced from 75 to 50 over the past two months. The reduction is attributed to a commitment of funding by Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Legislature. The funding increase allows the corrections department to be more competitive in the job market by offering starting wages of $18.26 per hour, an increase from $15.75.
Governor Kelly issued a statement saying that state employees, under very difficult circumstances, demonstrated a commitment to each other and to the safety of fellow Kansans. The governor has ended an emergency declaration for the El Dorado facility.
A memorandum of understanding between the corrections department and the Kansas Organization of State Employees will bring an end to 12-hour shifts starting October 6th.
The corrections department is also reporting fewer vacancies at facilities across Kansas. In June there were a total of 342 uniformed positions that were vacant, and that dropped to 252 in late July, an improvement of 26.3 percent.
