'Incidents are increasing because of it,' Juvenile detention officers strained as facility vacancies at 50% in the state

Juvenile detention officers do everything, from enforcing rules to supervising offenders, but now they are in short supply.

Job vacancies at juvenile detention facilities across the state are as high as 50%. To compensate, employees are being asked to work multiple roles every day.

There have been several incentives to get people to work at juvenile detention centers.

"We are offering a sign-on bonus," said William Lassiter with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. "We are also doing retention bonuses to get the employees to stay in the rolls they are in overall."

Compensation may be the biggest hurdle for getting people hired. The position currently starts at $35,000 per year, but they are dealing with stiff competition as adult detention centers offer a starting salary from $45,000 to $50,000 per year.

Appealing to the General Assembly to get starting-pay raises may be one of the only options left for these facilities to retain employees after hiring them, a move that has been discussed among the Durham County Commissioners.

"Incidents are increasing because of it, but the biggest thing is we have to make sure we provide these services for these kids to makes sure these kids don't become lifelong criminals."

Kentucky increased the wages of juvenile detention officers from $35,000 to $50,000. Recently, they were able to fill nearly 70 positions.