One Of Montana’s Hardest Jobs Rewarded With Pay Raise

It's about dang time.

There are a lot of jobs that people strive to have their entire lives. Think back to those kindergarten days when we did the "what do you want to be when you grow up" game. I'm guessing there were a lot of answers like a doctor, a teacher, a vet, a police officer, etc. What I am most sure of, there was most likely not a lot of "I want to be a correctional officer".

Montana Governor Gianforte just signed a house bill that may put the correctional officer profession on the list of "must apply for".

For years, correctional officers were making an embarrassing hourly wage of less than $17 dollars per hour. How can we expect to have a full staff when the people in charge of guarding murderers, rapists, and some of our most dangerous criminals, have an hourly wage of less than most fast-food workers? We can't.

House Bill 3, will give correctional officers an extra $2 per hour raise at Montana State Prison and a $3 raise for officers at the Montana Women’s Prison and Pine Hills Correctional facility.

By 2024, this will increase hourly wages from $16.46 per hour to $24.01 per hour. Is this pay increase enough? In my opinion, no; but this is a stepping stone for those employed by the correctional facilities. 

Governor Gianforte also made a promise to set aside $200 million dollars in funding for much-needed upgrades to our prison systems. This will help ensure the safety of our correctional workers that put their lives in the hands of violent criminals each and every day.

cc: KBZK