New Hampshire corrections officials are asking state budget writers for nearly 30 million more dollars in the next budget to help pay for an ongoing labor shortage.
About a third of that money would go to staffing the state’s new women’s prison in Concord, which is set to open next Fall.
Another chunk would go to hiring six new probation and parole officers to help run the state’s new drug courts. This budget item was removed from the state's drug court bill that passed over the summer.
The money would also help pay for overtime costs caused by longstanding staffing vacancies. DOC Commissioner Bill Wrenn says 115 corrections jobs are currently unfilled but he hopes that will change.
“We’ve also created a part-time position that’s solely going to focus on strategies that are necessary today to get the word out, a lot having to do with computerized job announcements things of that nature,” Wrenn told lawmakers on Tuesday.
Last year the department went over its overtime budget by $6 million and expects to go over again this year.