Double Bunking Dangerous to Staff
A recent article posted by blogger “On the Hudson” Nick Reisman - on Feb 09, 2011 states that “New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association President Donn Rowe today warned in his testimony before a joint legislative budget committee that the state could face a “catastrophe” if Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s prison closure plan moves forward.” Though the administration says the state facilities have 3,500 empty beds, NYSCOPBA claims the maximum security prisons are operating at 122 percent capacity. The union worries that an increase in dangerous “double-bunking” of inmates and a growth in dangerous prisoners has made the state’s prison facilities all the more crowded and necessary. [1]
Unfortunately, their perspective of this potential danger has already hit Arizona’s prison system as the state’s prison facilities are experiencing high rates of staff assaults and even more inmate on inmate assaults as they are warehousing inmates beyond their capacity to manage or find beds for them. Double bunking, even at maximum custody is no stranger in Arizona. As of 2005, this writer has been personally involved in the installation of over 800 double bunks within the Florence Eyman complex and has seen the rise in staff assaults and inmate on inmate assaults that have resulted in serious life threatening injuries and at least two homicides reported as such. All this bed expansion was done without an increase in the staffing patterns or physical plant which means the number of showers, toilets and other personal hygiene amenities are not proportional to the number of inmates living inside those cellblocks or living dormitories.
A recent proposal to add 5,000 beds on to their growth is based on the fact that Arizona has no empty beds and has one of the fastest growing incarceration rates in the country. Arizona lawmakers refuse to change sentencing laws in order to provide alternatives to prison sentencing as there appears to be an organized effort to promote private prisons inside the state since Janet Brewer, the newly elected governor and interim governor before the election appointed her two closest aides as consultants to the prison industry. The current prison population on February 7, 2011 was at 40,053 inmates. [2]
Phoenix television reporter Morgan Loew, CBS 5 Investigative Reporter, reported that “ Gov. Jan Brewer’s campaign chairman and policy adviser is also a lobbyist for the largest private prison company in the country. Chuck Coughlin is one of two people in the Brewer administration with ties to Corrections Corporation of America. The other administration member is communications director Paul Senseman, a former CCA lobbyist. His wife still lobbies for the company. According to campaign finance records, CCA executives and employees contributed more than $1,000 to the governor’s re-election campaign.” [3]
He goes on to report “The Company’s political action committee and its lobbyists contributed another $60,000 to Brewer’s top legislative priority, Proposition 100, a sales tax to help avoid budget cuts to education. Caroline Isaacs from the American Friends Service Committee, which advocates for social justice issues, said the money is evidence of influence the company has on the governor. Isaacs said private prison companies have been buying influence in Arizona politics for years. The number of private prisons and jails operating across the state shows the result of that influence, he said. Currently, there are at least 12 for-profit prison, jail and detention facilities in Arizona.” [3]
Double Bunking Dangerous to Staff videoSources:
[1]http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2011/02/09/correction-officers-union-warns-of-catastrophic-prison-closure/
[2]http://www.azcorrections.gov/adc/divisions/adminservices/Request_for_Proposal_110054dc.aspx
[3]http://www.kpho.com/news/24834877/detail.html
A recent article posted by blogger “On the Hudson” Nick Reisman - on Feb 09, 2011 states that “New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association President Donn Rowe today warned in his testimony before a joint legislative budget committee that the state could face a “catastrophe” if Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s prison closure plan moves forward.” Though the administration says the state facilities have 3,500 empty beds, NYSCOPBA claims the maximum security prisons are operating at 122 percent capacity. The union worries that an increase in dangerous “double-bunking” of inmates and a growth in dangerous prisoners has made the state’s prison facilities all the more crowded and necessary. [1]
Unfortunately, their perspective of this potential danger has already hit Arizona’s prison system as the state’s prison facilities are experiencing high rates of staff assaults and even more inmate on inmate assaults as they are warehousing inmates beyond their capacity to manage or find beds for them. Double bunking, even at maximum custody is no stranger in Arizona. As of 2005, this writer has been personally involved in the installation of over 800 double bunks within the Florence Eyman complex and has seen the rise in staff assaults and inmate on inmate assaults that have resulted in serious life threatening injuries and at least two homicides reported as such. All this bed expansion was done without an increase in the staffing patterns or physical plant which means the number of showers, toilets and other personal hygiene amenities are not proportional to the number of inmates living inside those cellblocks or living dormitories.
A recent proposal to add 5,000 beds on to their growth is based on the fact that Arizona has no empty beds and has one of the fastest growing incarceration rates in the country. Arizona lawmakers refuse to change sentencing laws in order to provide alternatives to prison sentencing as there appears to be an organized effort to promote private prisons inside the state since Janet Brewer, the newly elected governor and interim governor before the election appointed her two closest aides as consultants to the prison industry. The current prison population on February 7, 2011 was at 40,053 inmates. [2]
Phoenix television reporter Morgan Loew, CBS 5 Investigative Reporter, reported that “ Gov. Jan Brewer’s campaign chairman and policy adviser is also a lobbyist for the largest private prison company in the country. Chuck Coughlin is one of two people in the Brewer administration with ties to Corrections Corporation of America. The other administration member is communications director Paul Senseman, a former CCA lobbyist. His wife still lobbies for the company. According to campaign finance records, CCA executives and employees contributed more than $1,000 to the governor’s re-election campaign.” [3]
He goes on to report “The Company’s political action committee and its lobbyists contributed another $60,000 to Brewer’s top legislative priority, Proposition 100, a sales tax to help avoid budget cuts to education. Caroline Isaacs from the American Friends Service Committee, which advocates for social justice issues, said the money is evidence of influence the company has on the governor. Isaacs said private prison companies have been buying influence in Arizona politics for years. The number of private prisons and jails operating across the state shows the result of that influence, he said. Currently, there are at least 12 for-profit prison, jail and detention facilities in Arizona.” [3]
[1]http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2011/02/09/correction-officers-union-warns-of-catastrophic-prison-closure/
[2]http://www.azcorrections.gov/adc/divisions/adminservices/Request_for_Proposal_110054dc.aspx
[3]http://www.kpho.com/news/24834877/detail.html
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