| Project Scope:
The Carbon County Economic
Development Corporation (CCEDC) is committed to supporting the
long-term viability of the State of Wyoming’s Department of
Corrections (WDOC) activities in Rawlins, Wyoming where the
State’s primary correctional institutional is located. A recent
expansion of this WDOC complex, combined with a somewhat higher
employee turn-over rate at the Wyoming State Penitentiary,
prompted CCEDC to retain Pedersen Planning Consultants to
investigate the potential need for an adjustment in wages for
Wyoming’s correctional officers. CCEDC needed an objective
study of relevant issues, which could be brought to the Wyoming
Department of Corrections, the Governor, and State Legislature
for further consideration. The original 1999 study was updated
in 2001 to again provide relevant information to the Governor,
the Wyoming State Legislature, and the State Department of
Corrections.
PPC initially identified existing
wage scales and benefit packages for correctional officers
working at the Wyoming State Penitentiary (WSP) in Rawlins, the
Wyoming Women’s Center in Lusk, the Wyoming Honor Conservation
Camp in Newcastle, and the Wyoming Honor Farm in Riverton.
Subsequently, the competitiveness of WDOC’s wage and benefit
package was compared with other State and municipal law
enforcement agencies within Wyoming, 22 other state correctional
agencies in the American West, and average national wage scales
for correctional officers. The disparities were further
evaluated in the context of a deterrent to WDOC’s recruitment of
new correctional officers and the retention of existing
correctional officers.
Options were developed for
achieving competitive wage scales and benefit packages for WDOC
correctional officers. The options specified desirable wage
scale increases and encouraged the WDOC to establish expanded
eligibility requirements to help build up a more qualified and
committed pool of prospective correctional officer candidates.
Specific recommendations
identified a preferred wage scale rate and recommended
modifications in the scope of available employee benefits. An
approach to determining annual salary increases, which was based
upon annual evaluations of regional market pay in 23 states, was
also recommended. |
