MARQUETTE, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – When it comes to staffing Michigan’s prisons, the state might as well be a revolving door – except this one spins out corrections officers faster than it can pull them in. Because of this, the Michigan Corrections Organization (MCO) will be holding informational pickets next week near three Upper Peninsula prisons, raising awareness about the understaffing nightmare that’s making these institutions a powder keg ready to blow.

Guarding the gates with skeleton crews.

In Michigan’s prisons, the vacancy rate for corrections officers has ballooned to a staggering 27% leading to corrections officers who are drowning in mandatory overtime, working up to 16-hour shifts, three to five days in a row.

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MCO President Byron Osborn hasn’t minced words, calling on Governor Gretchen Whitmer to send in the National Guard to help plug the gaps as prisons reach the “point of desperation.” But so far, his requests have been met with silence. Instead of lending an ear, Whitmer has been busy promoting her new book, he says, which has led to the MDOC (Michigan Dept. of Corrections) desperately hosting several hiring events statewide in August.

Lawmakers are also calling for intervention including outgoing Rep. Neil Friske (R-Cheboygan) who wants Gov. Whitmer to declare a state of emergency in his district. He says, “These men and women are understaffed, overworked and outgunned. We need to come to their aid before disaster strikes.”

With five of Michigan’s 26 prisons in the Upper Peninsula, the MCO reports that the security facilities in Marquette and Baraga are operating with more than 30% fewer staff members than needed. There are also calls for MDOC director Heidi Washington to step down because of her failure to address staffing concerns and safety issues. It’s a prison system that’s buckling under the weight of its own inefficiencies.

A chain gang of problems.

Recept reports have been released that pull back the curtain on just how dire the situation has become. In Kinross, for instance, the correctional officer vacancy rate is 27%, with officers clocking nearly 2,000 overtime shifts in July alone. The Alpena News reported that the Chippewa facility in Kincheloe saw 17 prison fights and seven assaults on officers during the month of July. Additional reports from other prisons are expected to be released soon.

Bryon Osborne, the president of the union, discussed the reports with the Alpena News saying, “We’re just trying to educate the public, educate our legislators and our governor what the struggle has been and implore them to take some steps. And, when I say steps, I’m talking real, long-term answers. Enhancements to benefit packages, enhancement to compensation to get people to, first, come apply for the job, and, second, stay in the job, because, right now, we have neither.”

When the warden isn’t watching.

The pickets that will be occurring aren’t just about waving signs – the organizers say they’re about raising the alarm and putting a spotlight on an urgent crisis that needs a solution. Unsafe working conditions are a ticking time bomb, leading to frustrated inmates and increased violence. With prisons running on skeleton crews, activities like yard periods get slashed or canceled, fueling unrest among prisoners who are already packed in tighter than sardines.

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With the MCO plans to picket in Kinross, Baraga, and Marquette, the message is clear: The state’s prisons are hanging by a thread, and if something doesn’t change soon, it won’t just be the officers who are locked into a bad situation – it’ll be the entire state.