Upper Peninsula Representatives Call on Solutions to Solve Staffing at State Prisons

Upper Peninsula representatives call for urgent action taken by the Michigan Department of Corrections to address staff shortages in prisons. State Senator Ed McBroom, in a joint statement with representatives Dave Pristine and Greg Markkanen, urged MDOC Director Heidi Washington to address a growing number of issues in state prisons, related to staffing.

Senator McBroom says in the past decade he has warned the state of administrative policies that harm prisoners and correctional staff. Recently Michigan Corrections Organizations President Byron Osbourn noted that dangerous working conditions inside facilities include unsafe staff-to-prisoner ratios, requiring 16-hour shifts at times, and relaxation in discipline policies. Representative Prestine recalled his experience as a county commissioner in Menominee County when the county needed to raise wages to retain corrections officers.

Senator McBroom has sponsored two bills that seek to address the staffing issue for Michigan prisons that align corrections officer retirement benefits in line with Michigan State Police.

Those interested in reading the three representatives’ joint statement calling on the Michigan Department of Corrections to address staffing challenges in Michigan prisons can find more information here.