This report has been prepared in response to the 2022 Special Session I, Virginia Acts of Assembly, Chapter 2 Item 402 O.2. This section of the Appropriations Act requires the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) to report on the effectiveness of the targeted salary increases for corrections officer personnel implemented on July 10, 2022. The report will identify and analyze specific measures of effectiveness that indicate the degree to which these salary adjustments reduced the number of vacancies. The report will also review ongoing efforts implemented to recruit and retain qualified and diverse corrections officer personnel. The report containing such data and information is required to be submitted to the Governor, the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriation Committees, the Director of the Department of Human Resources Management, and the Director of the Department of Planning and Budget by October 15, 2023.

The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in corrections that provides long-term public safety to the Commonwealth. Corrections Officers are frontline public safety workers for the Commonwealth, supervising approximately 24,598 incarcerated inmates daily as of August 31, 2023. Corrections Officers play a critical role in promoting lasting public safety and helping people to be better. As of August 31, 2023, the Corrections Officer series consists of 5,566 employees serving at correctional facilities across the Commonwealth. These employees include:

• 4,457 Correctional Officers
• 561 Sergeants
• 391 Lieutenants
• 111 Captains
• 45 Majors
• 1 Lieutenant Colonel

As one of the largest segments of the Commonwealth’s workforce, these public safety employees operate 26 Majors Institutions, 8 Field Units, 6 Community Corrections Alternative Program (CCAP) facilities, 5 Work Centers, and 2 Secure Hospital Units.