LINCOLN- Hefty pay increases for state corrections workers have already reduced staff vacancies by half and should soon cut into forced overtime for prison guards and required weekend lockdowns for many prisoners, state officials said Monday.

Overall, the raises of up to 40% announced in November have helped the state attract more than 1,000 new applicants and make 267 new hires, said Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes. The new pay is so attractive, he said, that 50 of the new hires are staffers who previously left and are now returning to the agency, and 118 are coming from out of state.

“We are very pleased with that agreement and the impact it has had on our staffing,” said Gov. Pete Ricketts, who joined Frakes at a press conference Monday.

The State Corrections Department has been dogged by chronic staffing shortages for years. Late last year, about a third of the agency’s "protective services" positions — corrections corporals, sergeants, and caseworkers — were vacant.

The sparse staffing has spurred myriad problems, including record overtime costs, limits on inmates' activities and safety issues.

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