By Luke Ranker
The Times-Tribune
SCRANTON, Pa. — A program to arm federal correctional officers with pepper spray, which gained support following the February 2013 murder of a correctional officer from Nanticoke, will be expanded to include more staffers who deal directly with inmates at U.S. penitentiaries.
Now staff who work in recreation, food service, and receiving and discharge will be armed with pepper spray. The bureau also expanded the program to six medium security institutions, including the Allenwood prison in Union County, the Bureau of Prisons announced Monday.
Three days after Eric Williams was killed while working at the U.S. Penitentiary at Canaan in Wayne County, the bureau expanded a limited pepper spray program to include all 20 of the nation’s high-security prisons, including Canaan.
At that time, correctional officers were armed with pepper spray, but not general staff who also have contact with inmates. In April the bureau expanded the program to include a limited number of prison staffers, including counselors, case managers and unit mangers. The pepper spray program began in 2012 at seven high- security prisons.
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-17, Moosic, introduced the Eric Williams Correctional Officer Protection Act of 2014 in May, which would make the pepper spray program permanent, as well as expand the program to medium and higher security facilities. In a statement, Mr. Cartwright said he applauds the bureau for expanding the program, but said more needs to be done to protect prison workers.