Texas Prison Guards Conduct Vigil

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) â€” Correctional officer Willie King says Texas prison guards are woefully underpaid for a job in which they come under assault or other abuse from inmates. <br><br>King, 59, is one

Tuesday, January 16th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) â€” Correctional officer Willie King says Texas prison guards are woefully underpaid for a job in which they come under assault or other abuse from inmates.

King, 59, is one of some 23,000 Texas state prison guards, whose starting pay of $18,000 a year is among the nation's lowest. He and some three dozen correctional employees were lobbying lawmakers for better working conditions and pay raises.

Prison guard pay was to be a focus of a state Senate Finance Committee hearing Tuesday. Also, the Senate Criminal Justice Committee planned to hold a public hearing to discuss a state report on the recent prison break.

King says he is tired of inmates stabbing and beating guards.

``If somebody was throwing body waste at you, you'd get tired of it, too,'' King said.

``Or stabbing you or hitting you,'' he said. ``There's not much you can do. You have to remain a professional and that's kind of hard.''

King and his group began their legislative fight by taking part in a candlelight vigil Monday night.

Guards have been seeking higher pay for years, but the battle has gained increased attention since a Dec. 13 prison break at the Connally Unit, some 200 miles east of where King works. The escape of seven convicts has been blamed in part on a prison guard shortage, which in turn has been attributed to low pay scales.

The convicts, who allegedly killed a police officer, remain on the loose. The reward for their arrest and indictment was raised to $440,000 Monday, when the FBI added $140,000.

The state budget proposals under consideration in the Legislature include $42 million for prison guard pay hikes, as promised last summer. But they do not include any additional money for raises or hiring.

``We don't come with our hats in our hands begging,'' said Brian Olsen, executive director of the Texas chapter of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees. ``We come asking for the Legislature and the governor to do the right thing.''

Texas prison guards have the 43rd-lowest starting pay in the country, according to the union.