The union representing corrections officers at state prisons says December saw dozens of fights, assaults and medical emergencies at the St. Louis Correctional Facility.
The report is one of many the Michigan Corrections Organization have released highlighting violence in state prisons over the last years, including the St. Louis Correctional Facility.
The report outlines instances of prison assaults on guards and inmates. The suicide of an inmate on December 3rd is noted, along with multiple instances of guards being splashed with “unknown liquids.”
On Dec. 21, four different prisoners were taken to the hospital with serious health issues. According to the report, on Christmas Day, an officer was seriously hurt after having hot water and oil thrown on him by an inmate.
“The cumulative effect of these events reflects a facility operating under significant pressure, with staff repeatedly placed in harm’s way while managing unpredictable and often violent behavior,” the report reads.
A similar report about the facility from the union back in July sparked a hearing last fall in which the Michigan Department of Corrections was questioned about requirements for reporting violent incidents. Legislators questioned whether the MDOC’s mandatory violence reports were capturing enough information.
The Department is required by law to report critical incidents to the legislature within 72 hours. State law says critical incidents include those with “serious physical injury,” and incidents like overdoses, escape attempts, major disturbances and deaths.
"We are complying with the current boilerplate, but we also recognize that, boilerplate is crafted with a goal, but it maybe doesn't always achieve that goal from the perspective of the subcommittee," said Kyle Kaminski, the MDOC's legislative liaison, during the September hearing in Lansing.
State House Representative Timmy Beson, R-Bangor Township, is on the Corrections and Judiciary committee. He said, while the Department of Corrections has been sending incident reports for the last several weeks, he'd like to hear testimony from more guards.
Beson said the MDOC also ended a rule that requires lawmakers to notify the Department 72 hours in advance before inspecting a prison. Legislation was introduced last year, to end that rule.
"I do believe that we need a little more transparency and help the worker know that we're here for them," he said. "I currently know a few that used to be prison guards that were younger people in my community and no longer work for the prison,” Beson added. "They said, you just can't believe how hard it is."
The Michigan Corrections Organization says there is a severe lack of prison guards because of low pay and uncompetitive benefits. A plan to add Prison guards to the state police hybrid pension program is stuck in legal limbo amid a lawsuit.
Beson didn't comment on that plan specifically but said he supported “some kind of long-term job incentive” for guards to attract and retain talent.
The Michigan Department of Corrections said in a statement they're working on tampering down violence with new technology to catch contraband as well as improving training and search procedures for guards.
“We thank all our officers and staff for working with these populations and their continued commitment to keeping our communities safe,” the statement reads. “The department continues to work to meet the needs of our facilities in a safe and productive way, while reducing the number of incidents that take place.”
