COs say prison is overcrowded and unsafe.
By Jeni Jewell
Tuesday, November 03, 2009 at 7:34 p.m.
Read more: Local
MUNISING -- Almost 50 percent of the corrections officers at the Alger Max Prison outside Munising were on the picket line Tuesday. They say the prison is overcrowded and that's unsafe for inmates and for them.
They're unhappy about the state's decision to reclassify Alger Max from Level 5 to Level 4. With the lower rating, the number of inmates also jumped up from 500 to 896.
"We're picketing budget driven corrections policies right now," said local union Chapter President, Larry Henley. "Everything's being driven by money. They're throwing staff safety and safety of the public to the wind."
That means prisoners, who were once alone in a cell, are now double-bunked, and more prisoners are released into the recreational yard and dining hall at one time.
Late in the summer when Camp Cusino closed, an additional 300 inmates were moved to Alger Max. But only two corrections officers positions were added, which corrections officers say is a safety concern for them.
The prison warden declined to comment on Tuesday, but John Cordell from the Corrections Department in Lansing did say it's the state's position that prisoners who had been in the Alger Max Level 5 prison can be safely managed at Alger Max as a Level 4 facility.
But the picketing corrections officers disagree, saying violence has risen since the prison started double-bunking inmates.
"We've had our first rape at this facility this summer," Henley said. "Every day we're finding weapons. There's assaults, inmates on inmates."
The president of the Michigan Corrections Officers Organization says he hopes Tuesday's picket will grab the attention of lawmakers before more violence occurs.
