By Nathan Clark
mlive.com
LANSING — The union representing Michigan’s correctional officers is reporting a series of serious security incidents throughout the state’s prison system.
From March 2 to June 23, there have been more than a dozen serious incidents that occurred across multiple facilities and security levels ranging from assaults on officers to threats involving bodily fluids, weapons, and even a potential bomb scare, the Michigan Corrections Organization reports.
“It is imperative that we keep the public and our elected officials aware of the routine violence and danger that exists in the Michigan prison system,” said Byron Osborn, union president. “Prisoners are consistently being housed in lower security levels than what their behavior warrants, and the MDOC still does not have enough segregation beds or Level 5 maximum security level prisons to deal with violent and disruptive prisoners.”
Osborn noted that due to officer vacancies, there are times when monitoring posts are left unmanned, which can lead to more conflicts inside the prison.
“When there isn’t an officer there, the prisoners take advantage of it and use those areas to assault each other,” Osborn said.
On March 2 at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility outside Jackson, a prisoner threw urine at an officer.
Later at the facility, on May 29, a dumpster contractor arrived at the facility and reported that while he was on his way to the facility, he was temporarily blocked by one or more vehicles and believed someone may have placed a suspicious item on the dumpster, the union reports.
The Michigan State Police was called. The scene was treated as a potential active bomb threat until the scene was cleared with no device found.
On March 5, a prisoner at the Carson City Correctional Facility outside Carson City said he was going to kill his cellmate. An officer followed the prisoner to his cell where he put on his shoes and attacked the officer, the union reports.
On March 9, a prisoner at the Macomb Correctional Facility outside New Haven attacked an officer after leaving the medication line in the wrong direction, punching the officer in the face multiple times.
On April 8, a prisoner at the Baraga Correctional Facility in the Upper Peninsula injured two officers in an unprovoked attack, the union reports.
On April 20, a prisoner at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia attacked officers after becoming upset that his cell had been searched.
On May 1, a prisoner at the Cooper Street Correctional Facility outside Jackson was found lying on his cell floor speaking unintelligibly and flailing his arms. Additional officers were called to the cell as well as healthcare workers to check on him.
The prisoner suddenly started yelling and kicking staff, hitting one officer in the chest, the union reports.
The Marquette Branch Prison in the Upper Peninsula reported a series of fights on June 3, 4, 7 and 9. On June 14 a fight broke out in the prison yard. The yard was closed after a weapon was found, the union reports.
The Gus Harrison Correctional Facility outside Adrian saw two serious incidents in June.
On June 10 a prisoner who appeared to be suffering a medical issue attacked an officer, pushing him into a doorframe and holding him there until the prisoner was stunned and restrained by backup officers.
The following day, June 11, a prisoner grabbed an officer by the hips and lifted him up off the ground, slamming him into the door and floor causing the officer to strike his head on both the door and floor of the middle activity room in a housing unit.
On June 11, a prisoner at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia threw urine at a lieutenant and threatened to throw more at others. Later that day an officer would be assaulted by another prisoner.
On June 16, a prisoner at the Chippewa Correctional Facility in the Upper Peninsula was being escorted to the healthcare unit when he attacked and injured the officer escorting him.
On June 18, an officer at the St. Louis Correctional Facility in the middle of Michigan was attacked by two prisoners.
Osborn, citing the ongoing staffing crisis at MDOC, said many of the incidents could be avoided if there were more correctional officers and if prisoners were in their proper security level.
“We need our elected officials to take action to address our inability to retain officers,” Osborn said.
State Sen. Sue Shink and State Rep. Will Snyder sent letters to Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington on June 10 and June 11 , requesting she expand her plan to increase pay for new correctional officers in the state’s five prisons in the Upper Peninsula to all 26 state prisons.
The letters, signed by 10 state senators and 36 state representatives, urged Washington to consider the request as the prison staffing shortage is a state-wide issue that requires a state-wide solution.
The increase for new hires is part of the department’s Safe Prisons Initiative, which addresses prison safety through prisoner classification, contraband prevention, programming, training and recruitment efforts.
The union and MDOC are still in negotiations regarding new hire pay raises for all of the state’s prisons.
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