- Michigan is facing a major staffing shortage in its prison system, putting pressure on corrections officers.
- Officers are experiencing high rates of divorce, suicide, and substance abuse due to job stress.
- A new bill would add corrections officers to a law exempting taxes on first responders’ retirement benefits.
- Lawmakers are debating broader pension access, with legal disputes stalling past efforts.
- Supporters say the current bill is just the beginning of a longer effort to support corrections officers.
It’s a story I have been covering since November…
"People walk away from this job like never before because there's nothing to keep you around," Michigan Corrections Organization CEO Ray Sholtz said.
Michigan Corrections Organization CEO Ray Sholtz tells me the prison staffing shortage is having a deep impact on corrections officers.
"The tops in divorce, suicide, substance abuse, alcohol abuse—you name it. I mean, this job will take a toll on you," Sholtz said.
It’s something lawmakers want to see changed.
"Every time that I am in prison talking to our officers, they always talk about helping them with retirement benefits," Republican State Representative Kathy Scmaltz said.
State Rep. Kathy Schmaltz introduced a bill that would add state corrections officers to a law that exempts taxes on first responders’ retirement and pension benefits.
"Anything we can do to help them retain and attract new corrections officers is what we need to do," Schmaltz said.
That’s leading to some questions from Democratic lawmakers.
"In your discussion with them, did you by chance discuss the fact that maybe opening the pension system to allow corrections officers to join with MSP, so that they might be able to get pensions themselves?"
State lawmakers passed that bill last term, but it was caught in legal limbo in January. The GOP-led House and Democratic-led Senate are in an ongoing lawsuit to determine what’s next for those bills.
I asked Speaker of the House Matt Hall: What is preventing another bill similar to that one from coming forth to help those corrections officers?
"I would talk to Winnie Brinks about that," Speaker Hall said.
Sholtz tells me the bill introduced is the first step on a longer road to support corrections officers around the state.
"And for those folks that actually get to the end, it’s only right," Sholtz said.
I’ll continue to follow updates on the retirement benefits for corrections officers coming out of the state Capitol.
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