The union that represents employees in Iowa prisons says it’s time for the governor to respond to a disturbing trend. AFSCME Council 61 President Todd Copley says union members report there have been at least 150 assaults on prison staff since January.
Copley held a news conference in the statehouse Thursday morning and told reporters the staff in the state prisons fear retaliation if they raise concerns.
A spokesman for the governor says Reynolds knows correctional officers work in a hostile environment and that’s why she’s worked diligently with prison managers to increase staff and improve safety and security at the facilities. The director of the state’s prison system says she has an open-door policy and is eager to listen to the concerns of staff. The union’s president says it’s time to repeal the 2017 law that forbids correctional officers from raising safety issues during contract negotiations.
Three years ago, two Anamosa prison inmates attacked and killed two prison employees. Last week, the union said an inmate at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison attacked two employees. Today, Copley described the attack, saying the inmate ripped the metal leg off a desk in his cell and used it as a weapon.
According to Copley, one of the guards was hit in the face and has a number of fractured bones, while the other was stabbed 11 times, tearing his uniform and scratching his skin. The Iowa Department of Corrections has said it doesn’t comment on open investigations.
