DOVER, Del.-Â The bagpipes and drums played which means there is a new commissioner in town.
Monroe B. Hudson Jr. started his career in the Department of Correction in 1986. Following his first stint with the DOC, he spent 31 years with the Delaware State Police retiring as a Deputy Superintendent. Then he returned to be Deputy Commissioner under the outgoing Claire DeMatteis.Â
Hudson has many priorities on his mind as he takes charge.
"We are going to place special focus on recruitment and retention and make sure our wages are comparable to local law enforcement," Hudson Jr. said. "There's been some great support from Governor Carney and his staff in terms of wages."
Carney nominated Hudson on June 4 and he was unanimously confirmed on June 23Â
"(Hudson) knows it's about valuing and empowering the correctional officers and employees of the department," Carney said. "Making sure that we are addressing the needs of the inmates so they are better off when they leave.
Before leaving her post as commissioner, Claire DeMatteis was instrumental in the writing of Senate Bill 158 which will give more inmates jobs during jail time.
The bill will also provide a two-tiered structure with good time awards first then hourly wages or both after a certain amount of time. The amount of days that can count towards their sentence each month has been doubled and twenty extra days when good time credits are available each year were added.
"We think it's really going to positively help us with behavior in the prisons," DeMatteis said. "We are incentivizing inmates to own a job. They can work off their court fees and fines."
An opportunity that seems in demand for inmates to improve their lives even if they are confined.
