The Arizona Department of Corrections is short about 300 officers.

The state's prison system holds close to 36,000 inmates, so it needs all the help it can get.

It made strides over the last year years, but there's still a lot of work to do.

Between 2003 and 2006, the Arizona Department of Corrections says inmate on inmate assaults went down, 24 percent.

Inmate assaults on corrections officers are also down 19 percent.

They want to continue that trend, so they're in the middle of an intense recruiting process, but there are still some challenges to overcome.

Captain Timothy Cox has worked at the state prison complex in Tucson for eleven years.

"We get our staffing levels where they need to be, but the inmate population keeps growing so much month to month."

Cox adds, "You have housing units that were originally designed for 100 inmates that are now housing 150 to 200 inmates."

Dora Schiro, Director of the State Department of Corrections, agrees.

"We believe there are opportunities to expand many of our state facilities and we're looking for the development money."

Schiro says they're even short on thousands of inmate beds.    

Then there's the issue of pay.

Last year, corrections officers got a $3,000 increase, but now there's a disparity in the pay scale between those officers and their supervisors.

Lt. David Dowling says, "There are currently 55 percent of Sgt.'s who make more than myself as a Lt. and the Capt.  There are 74 officers who make more than Sgt.'s, Lieutenants, and Captains."           

Schiro says, "We're requesting six point two million dollars and that's the money that we need to fix this for all our supervisors in the corrections series."

Tracy Hubbartt, with the Arizona Correctional Peace Officers Association, believes the overcrowding and staff shortages should've been addressed years ago.

"We're all looking at the same problems we've all got some ideas on how to fix it and fortunately we're getting together and saying we can agree on these positions."

Despite the challenges, employees in the state prison system say it's a rewarding job.

Cox says, "We have some of the best people in the business as far as I'm concerned.  A lot of people, a lot of opportunities to advance yourself and really further your career."