COLOMBIA, SC (AP) – South Carolina prison guards and other employees are receiving a $ 500 bonus on their paychecks during Christmas week.
The extra money is a well-deserved reward for working during the COVID-19 pandemic and comes from the money saved because the prison system currently has more than 1,300 vacant jobs, State Department Director Penitentiary Bryan Stirling told The State newspaper.
More than 3,900 guards, doctors, food service workers and others who work directly with prisoners will receive the $ 500, said Stirling.
Prison workers deserve the bonuses because they are “risking their lives as well as others who go to medical centers and hospitals. They are real heroes to me, ”said Stirling.
Since the pandemic began in mid-March, more than 660 state prison officials have been infected with COVID-19, and two have died of the disease. More than 2,400 inmates were infected and 34 died, according to the Penitentiary Department.
Even more state officials would have received a hazard bonus under the state budget approved by South Carolina senators in September. His spending plan included a $ 1,000 bonus for state employees who earned less than $ 50,000 and dealt regularly with the public, such as state police and health workers.
But House leaders decided instead to copy and paste last year’s budget, saying they did not want to add new spending because tax revenues could fall with such uncertainty in the economy.