Turn Key Health's CEO said improvements had been made, including the jail administrator's efforts to address detention staffing shortages
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office has 476 full-time and 33 part-time officers, but it also has about 200 unfilled corrections positions
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The Anamosa prison needs more than 30 correctional officers and nurses to be safe based on an assessment done more than a decade ago
The incident focused a new spotlight on the 30-year-old jail, which has long been plagued with complaints about sanitation, flooding, food and safety
Turn Key Health gave the jail trust a one-month deadline to increase the number of detention officers at the overcrowded 13-story facility
"It's never been so understaffed. It's never been so corrupt and it's never been so dangerous," the DA said
COs also warned of deteriorating building conditions, inadequate staffing, scant protections against COVID-19 and a lack of contact tracing
The state has struggled in recent years to attract and retain COs and its facilities remain chronically understaffed
Retention incentives, the 8.5-hour shift program and staffing to support statutory changes are included
Advocacy groups warned that privately built prisons won't address chronic violence and severe staffing woes
The money is coming from dollars already allocated to the department, but hasn't been spent yet due to vacancies
Gov. Mike DeWine previously authorized the National Guard to help staff state prisons
The department has blamed inadequate staffing for many of the problems and said it has made "real strides" to recruit more employees
"As all of you were enjoying Thanksgiving with your families, we had officers working 16-hour shifts," the sheriff said
The population reduction will allow the number of direct staffed posts to be decreased by eight per day
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