In fact, the stress of working among convicted felons, many of whom are violent and some of whom spit, curse and urinate at prison officers, has little to recommend it. Those officers who stick with the job should, at the least, be compensated just as much as others doing similar work in law enforcement.

The fact is, their pay is considerably lower than wages paid to county jail officers. That is understandably causing low morale and high turnover that set up a potentially explosive situation at the overcrowded prisons.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., to his credit, recognizes the seriousness of the problem and is proposing an 8 percent pay increase for corrections officers. While that seems generous, officers who work in Utah's prisons are so underpaid, by market standards, that even if Huntsman's recommendations for entry-level pay raises were approved by the 2006 Legislature, their wages still would be about $1 to $3 an hour lower than county jail officers in Utah are paid. The gap widens for experienced, long-term employees.

One man who, along with a friend, started as a corrections officer in 1995 is now making $10 per hour less than his colleague who left the prison in 1996 to work at the Salt Lake County Jail. That inequity is causing many officers to leave for higher-paying jobs at county jails in or outside of Utah, after the state has invested thousands of dollars in their training.

The Utah State Prison's turnover rate this year is 26 percent, a loss that is costly to taxpayers financially and in terms of having a well-trained, experienced corps of officers to deal with inmates.

Beyond the practical reasons for raising the pay of corrections officers is the human element. It is shameful that half the prison officers hold down second jobs to make ends meet; 7 percent live below the federal poverty line; and a third receive government, church or community financial assistance.

The Legislature should approve Huntsman's recommendation for fiscal year 2007 and add a provision to bring prison officers' pay to a competitive level in succeeding years. To do otherwise is indefensible, from both financial and human perspectives.