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| Justice Department opens inquiry into exams used to hire Rhode Island correctional officers |
| By providencejournal.com - Randal Edgar |
| Published: 12/19/2013 |
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Already projecting a $6.7 million deficit, the state Department of Corrections is facing a new round of challenges — both fiscal and legal — as it attempts to respond to a federal probe of the exams the department has used to hire correctional officers. At issue, the department says, is whether those exams are fair to minority applicants. Department Director A.T. Wall told the House Finance Committee of the probe two weeks ago, and he is expected to be back before the committee on Wednesday to provide an update. Wall told the committee on Dec. 4 that the U.S. Department of Justice “has some concerns about the grading mechanisms that we have used for the two kinds of tests, written exams and video exams, as part of a hiring process for corrections officers.” He went on to say that the Justice Department believes that the “outcome of those exams” has “disproportionately and adversely affected African-American and Hispanic candidates,” and as a result, the department “has indicated an intention to file suit.” “Frankly we were surprised and dismayed,” he said. A Corrections Department spokeswoman on Tuesday declined to provide details about the probe, citing the potential for legal action. Nor did the department respond to a request for correspondence between state and federal officials. Wall and at least one lawyer from the state attorney general’s office had planned to go to Washington on Monday to meet with Justice Department officials, but the meeting was postponed because “the attorney general’s office needed more time” to prepare, said Corrections Department spokeswoman Susan Lamkins. Lamkins said she did not know if the meeting had been rescheduled. In addition to casting a shadow on hiring practices, the probe has the potential to further strain the department’s budget. Read More. |
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