Officials say they must address staffing shortages at Schuylkill County Prison immediately.
At Wednesday’s monthly Prison Board meeting, Warden Michael Buchanan reported that there are currently two full-time positions, two part-time positions, and one lieutenant position vacant.
Additionally, there are four corrections officers and one lieutenant on extended leave and three corrections officers are on restricted duty.
But those numbers don’t tell the full story, according to Schuylkill County Controller Sharyn Yackenchick.
“I just want to let everybody know, just because you see (Buchanan’s) short-staffed two full-time officers, that is not the case,” she said. “When he shows these numbers and everybody says it looks pretty good … it’s not.”
Because of Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) time off guaranteed to corrections officers, there’s actually a more pressing need to address staffing shortages. Yackenchick said a corrections officer has an entire year to use their FMLA time.
“There is a need to get these positions filled,” Yackenchick added. “There are a lot of his officers (at the prison) on FMLA that can take a day or two every week if they want because they have that whole entire year to use that 12 weeks.”
The Controller said that Buchanan can get prospective hires on the County Commissioners Personnel Action Report (PAR) as soon as possible and votes should be taken immediately to hire them.
Schuylkill County President Judge Jacqueline Russell, who presided over Wednesday’s Prison Board meeting due to the absence of Commissioner Boots Hetherington, said that Buchanan has notified the court system of staffing issues.
Russell said, “The court is working with him in every way that we can to help.”
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