The Sedgwick County Jail is experiencing critical staffing levels, with the deputy to inmate ratio more than double the national jail standard recommended average of one deputy to 30 inmates, Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter says. The jail now is staffing one deputy for about 69 to 75 inmates, according to Easter, who plans to ask the Sedgwick County Commission on Wednesday to increase starting pay for detention deputies by more than $4 an hour, from $19.34 to $23.50. The jail is budgeted to have 228 detention deputies but currently has 113 unfilled positions, according to Easter.
Source: Wichita Eagle
