State association: corrections officers have low pay, morale

The head of the Missouri Corrections Officers’ Association says state prison workers need more pay.

Gary Gross tells Missourinet those officers make an average of $29,500, below the national average of $38,400.

“Missouri needs to get up in that [national average] range if they ever want to have a stable, successful workforce.”

The corrections department has also settled millions of dollars in lawsuits the last few years over harassment, intimidation, and retaliation in its workforce. The new director says she plans to work on cleaning up the culture, and getting officers more pay.