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In Texas, Harris County has the highest jail inmate population, with over 10,000 inmates, which includes more than 1,000 of whom are outsourced due to lack of space in Harris County jails. In addition, like many other jurisdictions, Harris County is understaffed when it comes to detention officers. In October 2023, to help mitigate the shortage of detention officers, the Harris County Commissioners Court approved a measure creating an incentive program, offering an additional $1,000 retention incentive for detention officers. The Harris County Commissioners Court also approved over $6.3 million to cover a 12% pay increase for detention officers, which was approved during the adoption of the fiscal year 2024 budget.

Harris County’s struggle with a shortage of detention officers has sometimes led to it to be in noncompliance with the Texas Minimum Jail Standards enforced by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. However, the county is not alone in its challenges to hire and retain detention officers. Across the country, recruitment and retention of workers are major obstacles currently facing law enforcement more broadly, but especially among detention officers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the overall employment of detention officers will decline by 7% from 2020 to 2030, which can be attributed to issues including high turnover, employee transfers to other occupations, and retirement. This understaffing can lead to a negative cycle of mandatory overtime, burnout, and higher turnover rates.

While there are numerous, often interrelated, factors contributing to the difficulty of recruiting and retaining detention officers, the Research and Analysis Division (RAD) identified four major challenges related to detention officer recruitment and retention from the literature: low salary, poor working conditions, length of the hiring process, and negative perceptions of law enforcement, summarized below along with examples of strategies implemented to mitigate each challenge.

Low salary
One of the most prevalent challenges of recruiting detention officers is the relatively low salary of the position. Wages for detention officers are “not competitive compared with those for other criminal justice occupations and with occupations in general,” according to a study published by the RAND Corporation. Many young individuals entering law enforcement professions do not plan on making it a lifetime career: therefore, the benefits that come with retirement, such as a pension plan, may not be a sufficient motivator for them to pursue a career in law enforcement.

To address the problems associated with low salary, law enforcement agencies are combining financial incentives, like relocation assistance and hiring bonuses, with non-financial incentives, like tuition reimbursement, increased parental leave, and flexible work schedules, which may be in higher demand for today’s workforce.

Poor working conditions
Due to the nature of the position, detention officers face difficult working conditions and work-related challenges that other professions do not. These challenges include physical altercations with inmates and exposure to infectious diseases, with detention officers having one of the highest rates of injury relative to other occupations. Detention officers also have a higher risk of developing chronic illnesses, “including stress, depression, suicide, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.”

Strategies applied to address the poor conditions, physical safety, work culture, and access-to-care for detention officers include shifting corrections culture to emphasize health and wellness, prioritizing confidentiality for officers seeking mental health care, and rotating shift schedules.

Length of hiring process
Another factor impacting the recruitment of detention officers is the lengthy hiring process. Because of the nature of the position, applicants are required to complete extensive background screenings and training before starting as a detention officer. This long hiring period increases the likelihood of an applicant losing interest or taking another position, especially if this position is not their first choice.

Automating as much of the hiring process as possible as well as placing individuals who have passed the pre-employment process into temporary civilian positions within the agency have been implemented to address this issue and increase recruitment.

Negative perceptions of law enforcement
Various national events and a general shift in attitudes have created increasingly negative perceptions of law enforcement in the minds of the American public. These perceptions have compounded the lack of interest among the public to pursue careers in law enforcement or corrections.

A strategy used to attempt to rectify this perception is to shift the narrative to focus on the positive impact law enforcement agencies have on their communities.

Collin County
One county in Texas that is not struggling with recruitment and retention of detention officers is Collin County. Collin County, which has an inmate population of 1,200—a fraction of Harris County’s 9,000 plus—has a detention officer vacancy rate of 0 and a waitlist of individuals interested in becoming a detention officer.

According to staff at the Collin County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), to recruit and retain detention officers, the CCSO creates a collaborative mindset through using direct supervision of inmates instead of relying on surveillance barriers and moving away from an authoritative leadership style. The CCSO also focuses on building strong leadership through ensuring that field training officers (FTOs) are aware of the psychological issues and stressors facing new detention officers and removing any supervisors who bully their detention officers. Finally, CCSO staff emphasized treating detention officers with respect through providing competitive pay and benefits and allowing them to maintain their personal cell phones anywhere in the jail.

To learn more about strategies to recruit and retain detention officers, and how Harris County compares to other Texas and non-Texas counties, read the Research and Analysis Division’s report here.