Causes of Employee Turnover in Sheriff Operated Jails

• DOI: 10.1177/009102600703600104
• Date: 01 March 2007
• Author: John Theis,Richard Kiekbusch,William H. Price
• Published date: 01 March 2007
• Subject Matter: Article

Causes of Employee

Turnover in Sheriff

Operated Jails

By William H. Price, D.B.A., Richard Kiekbusch, Ph.D. and John Theis, J.D., Ph.D.

County jails have faced a high employee turnover problem for some time. For this

study, five county jails were surveyed to determine the predominant predictors for

turnover. This county government environment includes management problems not

often found in a typical corporate scenario. Certain predictors for turnover are

under the control of the sheriff, the government, and the economy. It was concluded

that the most important variables a managing sheriff can actually control include

communication of genuine interest, realistic promotion opportunities and the full

use of employee skills.

Almost every county has at least one jail with a sheriff as the chief administrator.

The remaining counties have jails operated by a jail administrator, the state, or

private correctional companies. Factors leading to employee turnover are

undeniably one of the areas under their charge. Unfortunately, most sheriffs primarily

think of themselves as law enforcement officers, as protectors of the community or

as political candidates. While this may be very much on a sheriff ’s mind, the largest

portion of the budget lies in the county jail and the people who work there. The typ-

ical high turnover experienced among the jail officers (employees supervising

inmates) employed there should be a serious concern for jail managers, county com-

missioners, and legislative bodies.

The employee turnover problem, which is a major expense item in jail opera-

tions, is analyzed in this research. Employee turnover is expensive in terms of expen-

ditures for the recruitment and training of replacement officers and for covering

overtime in vacant positions. More to the point, it robs a county of its investment in

an experienced, confident and stable jail workforce. This study concludes that it is

sound management practice and not just salaries and benefits that tend to reduce

employee intent to leave a job.

Jails often consume substantial portions of the counties’ operating and capital

budgets, and employee wages are the largest piece of the pie. To be sure, in our liti-

gious society, the jail is often also the county’s largest exposure to liability; further-

more, mismanagement leaves the county open to judgments, forced settlements and

higher insurance premiums if the county is not self-insured. Voters should be inter-

ested in the cost-effective administration of their local jails since jails are a significant

burden in tax dollar allocation. Therefore, efficient operation of the jail emerges as a

key element in cost reduction or revenue enhancement for county governments.

Public Personnel Management Volume 36 No. 1 Spring 2007 51