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9 Investigates: Florida mulls lowering correctional officers' age requirement

FLORIDA — The state could soon lower the age requirements for correctional officers in state prisons to deal with high job turnover rate. 9 Investigates has been following trouble inside state prisons for two months. In November, we exposed inmates using illegal cell phones, which were sometimes brought in by guards.

The agency wants the state to reduce the minimum age requirements for a correctional officer to 18 years old from 19, so it can start recruiting high school graduates. “Eighteen-year olds are fighting in defense of our country, going overseas into harm’s way and serving. They are eligible to serve as firefighters. There are many comparable areas where there's great risk where 18-year olds serve marvelously,” Rep. Julio Gonzalez, of Venice, said.

There are concerns about safety and the financial burden to the state, raised primarily by Rep. Jennifer Mae Sullivan. She represents parts of Orange and Lake Counties, and believes the state loses when its pays to train these officers, only for them to leave after a year or two and end up at places like the Orange County Jail or at the sheriff's office, where they're paid more. Even the Department of Corrections revealed during a hearing on the matter that the agency experiences greater turnover with its younger officers.

“They come, the state trains them, the state doesn’t pay as high and then they go work for a county. So, my fear is if we are creating a recruiting process for recruiting even more young individuals that the turnover is going to become even greater,”  Sullivan said during a Florida House of Representatives committee meeting.
Rep. David Richardson of Miami suggested adding language mandating recruits who leave the job soon after are hired re-pay the costs.
The Department of Corrections tried to ease concerns about safety and training, insisting they will get more training than traditional 19-year-old applicants. The 18-year-old recruits would be assigned a mentor for that first year, and restricted from supervising inmates alone, and their job duties would be specific.
“They would not be allowed to supervise until they turn 19. They would assist with search processes, control room type processes alongside a mentor,” said a Department of Corrections official.
To put this issue into perspective, the required age for deputies at the sheriff's office is 20, and for the Orlando police, it is 21.