WASHINGTON – Congressman Alex X. Mooney sent a letter to Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters to express his support for providing the dedicated corrections officers at Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) Hazelton with a 25 percent group retention bonus.
Located in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, FCC Hazelton has averaged between 70-85 Correctional Officer vacancies and 30-45 staff vacancies since the beginning of the year. The dire staffing shortage has created a volatile situation threatening staff and inmates alike.
Correctional officers are regularly forced to work 16 plus hour shifts, multiple times a week. New staffers often transfer to other prisons quickly to find relief from the high amount of forced overtime.
Congressman Alex X. Mooney said of the letter, “FCC Hazelton faces a critical staffing shortage, which could be improved by providing dedicated employees with a much-deserved bonus. While we need to do more to improve recruitment and retention of correctional officers, the 25 percent retention bonus is a good step.”
Congressman Mooney added, “I call on Director Peters to promptly approve this request.”
