By C1 Staff
NEW YORK — A correctional officer with experience inside half a dozen maximum-security facilities across the state spoke out anonymously about the issues currently plaguing the system.
WGRZ reports that the officer was unsurprised by the June 6 escapes of Richard Matt and David Sweat, saying it could happen again if policies aren’t changed.
After the breakout, the officer says that he and his colleagues are now paying much closer attention to cell walls.
On the night the inmates escaped, they stuffed clothes under the blankets to make it look as though they were still in their cells when in reality they had cut through their cell walls. The officer said rules prohibit him from checking to ensure inmates are actually in their beds; he can’t shine a flashlight onto the face of an inmate, poke him or interrupt his sleep in any way.
The officer also said the facilities are understaffed, noting that the prison towers at the facility where Matt and Sweat escaped were unmanned the night of June 6.