More than 200 new correctional officers will soon begin work at Wisconsin Department of Corrections facilities statewide. DOC says it continues to see record-setting numbers of officers graduate from its six-week training academy. The 214 graduates, who are part of one of the department’s largest classes, were celebrated at a graduation event held Wednesday at Madison College. Applications for security staff grew following the passage of a new compensation plan included in Governor Tony Evers’ biennial budget and approved by the State Legislature. The plan set starting pay at $33 per hour for correctional officers and as high as $41 per hour for some locations and shifts. The latest influx of staff will further decrease the DOC’s vacancy rate among correctional officers and sergeants, which was as high as 35% in August of 2023. Currently the vacancy rate is 26%, which does not account for the incoming recruits. The latest class will add staff to facilities with the highest vacancy rates, including 21 new officers at the Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution, nine at Waupun Correctional Institution and nine at Fox Lake Correctional Institution. Waupun continues to receive 33 officers from other facilities through the Supplemental Staffing Plan.
