North Carolina Speeds Prison Hiring

North Carolina’s prisons are testing a bold new hire strategy: letting new correctional officers start work before their full background checks finish. With hiring delays often pushing candidates away for better-paying gigs, this pilot at three prisons is already showing success—Harnett and Central hit hiring targets, Pasquotank is close. But the real challenge? Pay. Officers earn just $37K–$54K annually, barely enough to support families, and the state ranks near the bottom nationally. Governor Josh Stein’s blunt comparison to Costco highlights the problem: low pay fuels high turnover. A new state budget could bring the raises needed to keep officers—and stabilize the system. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/3a92a887f59ea239