Author | Lightnews

Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · 5d

Indiana's prison population is nearing capacity, and overcrowding creates unsafe environments for people who live and work in prisons. As prison populations have risen over the past 5 years, the number of corrections professionals employed in state prisons has fallen 20%. https://bit.ly/4ocOakI

Panel hears warnings on rising Indiana prison population, local corrections funding shortfalls • Indiana Capital Chronicle

Indiana lawmakers heard warnings that the state’s prison population is nearing capacity, but funding for local alternatives is shrinking.

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · 9d

Alabama has struggled with prison overcrowding for decades, and it’s set to worsen. New laws could push the number of incarcerated people up by nearly a third by 2030, straining public budgets and exacerbating understaffing. https://bit.ly/4nA3mZb

Alabama state prison population could rise by a third by 2030 | Alabama Reflector

The number of split sentences issued by judges, parole and the people incarcerated affected by changes to good time rules are factors.

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · 11d

A new documentary focuses on correctional professionals and reveals how the work impacts their physical and mental health. Hear first-hand accounts that call for wellness programs dedicated to supporting corrections professionals. https://bit.ly/4nwACR6

'Behind the Wall' documentary highlights toll of prison work on correctional officers

The documentary gives voice to correctional officers, exposing the physical and mental toll of working behind prison walls and calling for wellness solutions

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · 12d

Six months after the prison strike in New York ended, staffing shortages at New York prisons have worsened and 3,000 National Guard members are still required to supplement officers. https://bit.ly/42bELkR

NY prison staffing and morale are low 6 months after strike

Prisoners say a lack of staff has resulted in fewer programs intended to help their rehabilitation.

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · 13d

West Virginia’s jails and prisons remain dangerously understaffed and overcrowded. The crisis has consequences for everyone – staff, incarcerated people, and communities. https://bit.ly/46mlz6m

Staffing shortages still a challenge in West Virginia's crowded jails • West Virginia Watch

West Virginia is making progress in addressing staffing shortages in its jails and prisons, but hundreds of positions remain unfilled.

westvirginiawatch.com

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · 17d

Corrections professionals die by suicide at rates significantly higher than the general public. “Improving access to mental health resources and destigmatizing the need for help are essential.” - AFGE District 7 VP Jason Anderson https://bit.ly/4pKrsC5

Correctional union’s suicide prevention push aims to reshape prison culture

AFGE Local 4070 is supporting peer programs and lobbying for the Corrections Officer Blake Schwarz Suicide Prevention Act

www.corrections1.com

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · 18d

“Forcing federal correctional officers to show up for work during a government shutdown without pay isn’t just unfair – it is reckless, and it puts lives at risk.” - Jon Zumkehr, president of AFGE Local 4070 for @thehill.com https://bit.ly/48IQStC

Unjust, dangerous: Government shutdowns make correctional officers work without pay

Federal correctional officers are being forced to work without pay during a government shutdown, putting lives at risk and causing financial hardship for their families.

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · 19d

Corrections leaders are sounding the alarm: VT’s prisons are dangerously understaffed. Corrections professionals are working exhausting hours, and incarcerated people are losing recreation time and visits. The staffing shortage is creating a crisis that puts everyone at risk. https://bit.ly/4mIMCO7

Union officials say Vermont prisons facing a staffing crisis

Vermont union officials say the current shortage of staffing at the state’s prisons is creating an extremely dangerous situation.

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · 20d

Clarion County is paying the price for Pennsylvania’s prison staffing crisis. The county is spending $75 per person every day to house 23 people in another jail. Understaffing drains budgets, endangers correctional officers, and destabilizes families. https://tinyurl.com/358vye2b

Clarion County Transfers Inmates to Jefferson County Jail Amid Staffing 'Crisis' - exploreClarion

Warden Sherry Yates identified a potential crisis regarding staff levels and open shifts.

www.exploreclarion.com

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · 23d

The same day a violent incident at Fishkill Correctional Facility left corrections professionals and incarcerated people injured, New York’s prison watchdog group reported that staffing levels statewide have dropped nearly a third. Fewer staff means more danger for everyone. https://bit.ly/4nV5Dhe

State prison watchdog group says security staffing is down in all correctional facilities - Mid Hudson News

NEW YORK – On the same day as a melee erupted at Fishkill Correctional Facility injuring nine corrections officers and five inmates, the Correctional Association of New York, the state-appointed priso...

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · 24d

Despite persistent staffing shortages across the state, Vermont’s prison population has grown by 300 in just two years – and the state now incarcerates more women than it has beds at its lone women’s prison. https://bit.ly/4pNBT7V

Rising prison population strains Vermont facilities - Valley News

Vermont's prisons are overcrowded, with the women's prison now over capacity. Officials are considering sending more people to a private prison in Mississippi.

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · 26d

“Correctional officers are dying. Their families are grieving. And the rest of us are left to pick up the pieces. We are done with empty promises. We need action — and we need it now.” - Jon Zumkehr, president of AFGE Local 4070, a union representing correctional officers. tinyurl.com/y5hw6x42

No more empty promises: Federal correctional officers need real mental health support — now

A new push in Congress and local initiatives aim to bring lasting mental health resources to federal officers

www.corrections1.com

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 15

Advocates warn that the response to severe understaffing in Maryland prisons has been devastating, with people often confined to their cells for up to 23 hours a day. These “constant and indefinite lockdowns” raise urgent concerns for health, dignity, and safety.

‘Indefinite lockdowns,’ extreme heat, prompt letter from Maryland prisoner advocacy group

The Prisoner Rights Information System of Maryland put the state on notice over constitutional violations it's attributing to "indefinite lockdowns" at state prisons.

www.thebanner.com

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 14

“You simply can't operate a safe facility with that many staff positions left vacant. Supervision checks are left undone; staff don't want to intervene in incidents because there is no backup; & lockdowns are more frequent because staff are not available to take people to programs.” - Michele Deitch

Texas prison violence hits 10-year high. Is a drug crackdown making it worse?

Texas prison violence reached its highest level in at least a decade, prompting a monthslong lockdown in 19 lockups this summer.

www.houstonchronicle.com

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 13

As prison leaders look for ways to take advantage of AI technology, there are concerns that it could divert focus away from long-standing issues like understaffing.

"OK's correctional staffing levels dropped 7.6% from June 2021 to 2025, according to docs presented to the Board of Corrections."

As Oklahoma Prisons Embrace AI, Critics Warn of Risks - Oklahoma Watch

Oklahoma prison officials envision drones, call monitoring and AI technologies as the future, but advocates worry the tools create risks that extend beyond incarceration.

oklahomawatch.org

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 12

“We want people to heal and grow and have a good life and serve their community well.” - Scott Semple, Retired Commissioner of the Connecticut DoC

Prisons are not just meant to punish, they’re also meant to rehabilitate and prioritizing health is one way of making a huge positive impact.

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 10

Brian Dawe of campaign partners One Voice United shares how extreme temperatures in prisons increases the risk of violence and creates “a miserable set of conditions."

This comes as Kentucky prisons are operating with outdated AC systems while experiencing 100 degree weather.

For incarcerated people in KY, extreme heat poses danger

Lack of air conditioning in prisons can cause unsafe conditions for incarcerated people, especially during the hottest time of year.

www.wuky.org

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 9

With extreme heat severely impacting incarcerated people and staff, 40 lawmakers have composed a letter to Federal Bureau of Prisons Director William Marshall, hoping to learn how facilities will ensure safety for all.

House Democrats Seek Federal Bureau of Prisons' Response to Inmate Safety Amid Extreme Heat

House Democrats are confronting the BOP on inmate safety amid extreme heat, citing reports of related deaths and pressing for information on the federal prisons' capacity to manage high temperatures.

hoodline.com

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 8

Prisons are in crisis—and it impacts us all.

We need safer conditions, better training, more staff, and less unnecessary over-incarceration. Show your support by subscribing to our newsletter: https://saferprisonssafercommunities.org/

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 6

“Texas has more than a hundred prisons. Two-thirds of them don't have AC. That means most of the 137,000 people incarcerated in Texas have no temperature control.”

🎧 Hear more from @npr’s podcast.

Hot weather kills. Who gets protected? : Code Switch

The heat disproportionately kills poor, elderly and people of color. So on this episode we're focusing on the lives of those impacted, from roofers in Florida to prisoners who live and die in cells th...

www.npr.org

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 5

"Inaction is not just immoral, it is unlawful. No one in a civilized society should be sentenced to death by heat.”

Two-thirds of the prison population in Texas are enduring 90 degree heat without access to air conditioning.

Most Texas prisons still lack AC — and it's costing people their lives

Another Texas summer is here, and once again, tens of thousands of people incarcerated in Texas prisons are sweltering, and some are dying, because they’re denied the necessity of air...

www.statesman.com

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 4

Exposure to extreme heat in prisons can worsen conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and asthma, and has also been linked to deteriorating mental health and higher suicide rates among incarcerated people.

Extreme heat in prisons brings more legal challenges, pressure on states • Stateline

Facing growing pressure from advocacy groups, lawsuits and climate projections that show hotter days ahead, some state prison systems are moving to install air conditioning and expand cooling measures...

stateline.org

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 3

Every summer, extreme heat in prisons causes illness and death.

Combined with overcrowding and understaffing, it creates unsafe, inhumane conditions for staff and incarcerated people alike.

Learn more: https://saferprisonssafercommunities.org/resource/extreme-heat-fuels-national-prison-crisis/

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 2

"The stifling temperatures can mean dangerous conditions for correctional staff and prisoners, contributing to medical emergencies and potentially violating prisoners' Constitutional rights, a situation that can result in lawsuits that leave taxpayers responsible for legal payouts."

'You can see the steam off the ground': Wisconsin slow to add cooling system in prisons despite rising heat

Rising temperatures can mean dangerous conditions for correctional staff and prisoners.

eu.jsonline.com

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Safer Prisons. Safer Communities. @saferprisonssafercommunities.org · Sep 1

Chronic understaffing and poor retention are making Tennessee’s prisons unstable and unsafe for both staff and incarcerated people. Overall turnover in all prison employee positions was 22% in 2024.

What termination letters to Tennessee's prison guards tell us about staff retention

More than half of the 149 TDOC officers terminated in 2024 were fired for the same reason.

eu.tennessean.com

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