The Kansas secretary of corrections is calling staffing shortages at the El Dorado Correctional Facility an emergency.
Corrections Secretary Roger Werholtz said staff at El Dorado already work long shifts. The prison holds about 1,700 inmates and currently has about 85 unfilled jobs.
The emergency declaration gives the Department of Corrections the authority to hire temporary staff and require employees to work even longer hours.
Gov. Laura Kelly told a group of union members Tuesday that the long hours will have to continue while the administration works to fill dozens of vacancies.
I know thats not healthy, but we do have an emergency situation right now so we have to take some pretty drastic action, she said.
Agency officials are trying to send a message to staff urging them not to be discouraged by the long hours.
Hang with us, because were trying to fix this problem, Werholtz said. But its not a quick fix and its not a cheap fix.
Members of the Kansas Organization of State Employees said their concerns about prison staffing havent been taken seriously in recent years.
We are encouraged that Gov. Kelly is taking this critical situation seriously, Union President Sara LaFrenz said in a statement.
The lack of staff has played a part in recent riots at Kansas facilities, according to the lawmaker who chairs the House corrections committee.
Republican Russ Jennings said fewer staff mean inmates spend more time in their cells.
Tension rises, the potential for violence rises, Jennings said in an interview.
