Employees at FCI Elkton, the federal prison in Elkrun Township, are feeling the impacts of federal cuts, as the Bureau of Prisons last week announced the elimination of retention bonuses and other incentives to prison workers. (Photo by Stephanie Elverd)
ELKRUN TOWNSHIP — As Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues slashing through federal agencies, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) remains in the cross hairs. What that means for the 35,952 people including or the several hundred employees at the Elkton Federal Correctional Institution is unclear. What is clear is that FCI Elkton staff will see a decrease in salary and incentives.
Last week, pressure by DOGE to increase efficiency and reduce economic burden led to the BOP under the Trump administration’s direction to eliminate or cut in half retention bonuses for prison workers. According to the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), its Council of Prison Locals 33 and AFGE Local 607 which represents 333 federal employees at the FCI Elkton, retention bonuses also known as “stay bonuses” — a one-time lump sum payment offered by a company to an employee as an incentive to stay with the company — are a crucial in solving prison staffing issues, both correctional and medical. The retention pay adds between 10% and 25% to an employee’s salary. An entry level correction officer at a federal institution earns just $49,739 annually, even at maximum-security facilities.
AFGE National President Everett Kelley lashed out via press release at BOP’s decision to reduce or eliminate the special recruitment tactics that keep prisons staffed.
“Correctional officers and staff have one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in the federal government,” Kelly said. “They are also tremendously underpaid which is why the Bureau of Prisons has had to offer this additional pay to recruit and retain qualified employees.”
Council of Prison Locals 33 National President Brandy Moore White reverberated the importance of retention bonuses.
“This decision will have far-reaching consequences for the dedicated employees who remain in one of the most difficult, high-risk jobs in the country,” Moore said in a statement. “These professionals work long hours under strenuous conditions, often with inadequate staffing levels. The BOP has relied on retention incentives to help make up for the hardships they face.”
Moore said stay bonuses “has been the only mechanism to recruit and retain individuals over the last year” and reiterated that prison employees “are working in extremely difficult and understaffed conditions.” She added that taking away the retention bonus was “not just a financial blow” but a “blow to morale.”
That morale had already taken a hit last month when employees at FCI Elkton and federal corrections officers across the country received emails — a DOGE directive — that mandated all federal employees to provide “a five bullet-point list” of recent accomplishments in their positions or risk being terminated. DOGE sent out another email this week, reiterating the demand for five bullet points. Musk later posted on X that failure to provide the list would be considered a resignation.
“FCI Elkton staff did receive Musk’s ‘five-things email,’” said Sarah Dees, Executive Assistant Public Information Office at FCI Elkton. “FCI Elkton takes seriously our duty to protect the individuals entrusted in our custody. We deeply value the work our employees do every day, and we are committed to protecting jobs and minimizing the impact on our workforce. FCI Elkton will continue to monitor the situation and adjust as needed to ensure the agency can continue fulfilling its vital mission while supporting its dedicated employees.”
When the first email was sent by DOGE, the Department of Justice, citing “sensitive nature of their work” told federal corrections employees to not to reply to the email. After the second email, BOP told employees to reply with the following message: “I hold a law enforcement position and cannot respond as to my accomplishments last week, as disclosure of my duties may compromise institution security or operations and as such is considered law enforcement sensitive.”
While it is unlikely those employed at FCI Elkton or any the 122 federal prisons, which are already understaffed, will be on the DOGE chopping block — an estimated 20,000 federal employees have been terminated to date with an additional 75,000 opting to take a buyout — the reduction of bonuses and other incentives coupled with scrutiny from DOGE has already led to a mass exodus of federal corrections staff. FCC Hazelton — located in Clarksburg, West Virginia and considered one of the deadliest federal prisons in the United States — had 86 of its correctional officers resign within two days of BOP’s announcement that retention bonuses would be slashed.
As of Wednesday there were 338 current openings in the federal prison system according to USAJOBS.com — a website of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
The resignations and cost-cutting measures are exacerbating federal detention capabilities that are already spread thin. In December of 2024, BOP announced the closure of seven federal prisons. Less than a month later, the BOP told The Associated Press that the bureau was assisting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by housing detainees.
“Cutting their salaries makes zero sense — especially now, as they are being required to take on the added responsibility of housing undocumented immigrants detained by the Department of Homeland Security,” Kelley said. “I call on the Trump administration to reverse this foolhardy decision and to work with Congress to provide BOP with the funding it needs to keep our prisons staffed and our workers there safe.”
FCI Elkton was completed in 1997 and opened the same year. The low-security male prison has 16 buildings, camp housing, minimum security housing, detention facilities, and an adjacent satellite prison camp that houses low and minimum-security male inmates.
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