ALFRED — Three weeks ago, York County Sheriff Maurice Ouellette sent 15 state prisoners back to the corrections department from York County Jail. His intention was to close a “pod,” or wing of the jail where inmates are housed, to help ease the impact of staff vacancies.

At that time, the jail was down 28 of its 89 corrections officers, which meant those on the job are working lots of overtime ”“ and not all of it voluntary.

Ouellette told York County commissioners on Wednesday that three new corrections officers started work a week ago, reducing the number of vacancies to about 25 ”“ or about 28 percent.

As well, patrol deputies are filling in on prisoner transports, augmenting existing transport staff.

Under the terms of the union contract, corrections staff, whose regular work week is 41 hours, can be mandated to work 56 hours a week and may volunteer to work a maximum of 72 hours, said Jail Administrator Michael B. Vitiello. He said most corrections staff work 48-56 hours a week, depending on their schedules, and a few choose to work more.

Ouellette said he realizes large amounts of overtime can be hard on workers and their families.

It is difficult, he said, when an officer is looking forward to the end of a shift and has plans with his or her family, only to be tapped to work overtime because there is not enough staff to fill vacant shifts.

The sheriff hasn’t been able to close the pod as he intended because the jail’s own inmate population has increased, and so overtime and “order-ins” ”“ where staff are mandated to work ”“ continue.

To help ease the situation, Ouellette said he’s mulling hiring a consultant to help target advertising and marketing to people who might consider corrections as a career. And he’s also looking to expand the use of Maine Pre-Trial Services, which could help lower the jail’s population. Maine Pre-Trial Services offers contracts with specific conditions to those awaiting trial, an alternative to jail. Ouellette said without the existing services Maine Pre-Trial provides, the jail today would be housing 48 additional inmates.

The average daily jail population is about 200 inmates; there were 215 inmates on Wednesday. That’s up from about 165-175 a day when the jail opened in January 2004, and while some are state prisoners still housed at York County Jail, most are county inmates.

Ouellette put the officer vacancies down to a number of issues ”“ including the fact that corrections jobs aren’t for everyone. One individual he hired some time ago passed the rigorous application process with flying colors, Ouellette said as an example ”“ but just one day in the “pod” with inmates was enough, and he left.

And for several months, earlier this year, he said, commissioners wouldn’t allow him to hire staff.

“That may have had an impact,” he said. “I’m not sure.”

Vitiello said some corrections workers leave for jobs in other jurisdictions, and some just don’t like the work ”“ or the schedule in a facility that must be staffed 24 hours a day. Others sometimes find themselves in difficulties ”“ and out of a job. Four officers resigned after being charged with assault and other crimes earlier this year; others have been terminated for various reasons.

The application process includes an extensive background check, fingerprinting, an oral exam, interviews, a physical agility test and a risk accessibility test. Vitiello said it can sometimes take several months between when an applicant applies and is hired. Starting salary is $16.80 an hour.

As to the costs associated with filling vacant shifts, Vitiello said balancing that are the salaries and benefits that associated with the vacant positions that aren’t being filled. The two “should net out,” he said, but he acknowledged the overtime budget could be overspent.

At Two Bridges Jail in Wiscasset, which serves Lincoln and Sagadahoc counties, there are four vacancies among 76 positions. But Diane Hayward of the jail’s human resources department said the applicant pool is small. She has seven applicants for the four vacancies and a backlog of just six more ”“ and she pointed out that about one in eight applicants is hired.

In Penobscot County, Sheriff Glen Ross operates a jail facility with 56 line corrections staff. Ross said he hires full-time workers only from his 18 part-time reserve corrections staff ”“ giving him an opportunity to see how a worker is doing before offering a full-time position. And while he currently doesn’t have a large number of vacancies, Ross pointed out it is often more difficult to find part-time corrections workers than full-timers.

“Every county is different,” said Ross.

National Correctional Employees Union Business Agent William Russell said staffing is a concern at York County Jail. He said the union has met with the sheriff and county manager, and he’s been assured that there is a plan to bring staffing up to acceptable levels.

“We’re working with (jail administrator) Vitiello and the sheriff to try and alleviate the problem,” he said.

Ouellette told commissioners last week that there are 15 applicants now going through the hiring process.

“I’m hoping out of that 15 we can get five to seven employees,” he said.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 or twells@journaltribune.com.