La. Dept. of Corrections hosts job fair; seeking correctional officers, nurses

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The Louisiana Department of Corrections is amping up its efforts to recruit more employees, but the real work comes with retention.

Retention has been an issue for correctional centers across the country, but the DOC is trying a variety of methods to keep people in the system.

Officials said pay increases, employee mentorship, and other methods have helped to decrease the turnover rate.

“We’re seeing more people show up that are interested in getting employed with DOC,” said Natalie Laborde, executive council for Dept. of Corrections. “Before that, we would have job fairs and no one was there. So, something is definitely working on the recruitment side. Retention, it’s going to take us a while to see the impact.”

The Elayn Hunt Facility is one of eight prisons searching for nurses and correctional officers. A spokesman for DOC said they are front-line staff and, in some ways, have the most impact on the inmate population. CLICK HERE for more.

More than 300 people have already signed up for Louisiana’s DOC digital job fair. The number is significantly higher than in the past. The virtual career will be held on Thursday, Jan. 19, at noon. CLICK HERE to register.

Future Job Fair Information:

Elayn Hunt Correctional Center (EHCC) will hold a job fair on Tuesday, January 31, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at 6925 LA-74, St Gabriel, LA 70776. Officials said staff will be on hand at the hiring event to assist with applications, interviews, and offers on the spot. CLICK HERE for more.

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