Correctional officers’ union calls on Governor Whitmer to deploy National Guard due to staff shortages in Michigan’s prisons

(CBS-DETROIT) – A union representing correctional officers in the state of Michigan asked Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday to deploy the National Guard to help understaffed prisons.

Byron Osborn, president of the Michigan Corrections Organization (SEIU Local 526M), wrote in a letter to Whitmer that she must “accept the working conditions that have persisted and even worsened throughout her tenure as governor.”

The letter states that correctional officers would be required to work 16 hours of overtime per week and would have to run prison operations with a “far smaller” number of officers than necessary.

Osborn said officers often had to work alone in isolated areas, which compromised safety. Prisoners had “taken advantage of MDOC’s lax policies regarding prisoner discipline, classification and use of isolation” and were “pampered at the expense of officer safety,” the letter said.

“The conditions I have described to you are real,” Osborn said. “If you are skeptical and would like to see for yourself, I would be happy to accompany you to several of your prisons so you can speak directly to your correctional officers, not the administration, about the conditions.”

Correctional officials have reportedly been trying for years to find solutions from the Michigan Legislature and the Michigan Department of Corrections and are now in desperate need of help.

“On behalf of all the state’s correctional officers represented by our organization, I am formally asking you to activate the Michigan National Guard to provide immediate incarceration support to prisons that desperately need it while we work directly with you to find realistic, permanent relief measures,” Osborn said. “We hope you’re listening.”

Following the letter, the state Department of Corrections released a statement expressing gratitude for the work of its staff and acknowledging the staffing issues facing the prisons.

In April, prison vacancy rates ranged from 4.3% to 36.3%. To address staffing shortages, the state has negotiated salary increases totaling 18% for prison guards since October 2020. This has only alleviated the problem in some facilities, according to the Department of Corrections.

In response to staffing shortages, the department allowed previously certified prison guards to work overtime voluntarily and closed housing units in facilities with high staff vacancies.

The ministry said the “temporary measure” of activating National Guard members who are not trained to work in this environment is not a solution.

The situation facing MDOC personnel continues to be challenging, but the solution is not a temporary measure such as deploying National Guard members who are not trained to operate in this environment,” the department said in its statement. “The department and other stakeholders must continue to focus on efforts that can stabilize the staffing situation over the long term, including promoting the benefits of a career in law enforcement.”