Kinchloe, MI - A State Representative who witnessed an assault during a tour of a U.P. prison is calling for improved working conditions and increased staffing in Michigan prisons.
State Representative Dave Prestin was touring the Chippewa Correctional facility in Kinchloe yesterday when a prisoner violently struck an inspector in the head in clear view of Prestin’s tour-group.
The Michigan Corrections Organization has reported that corrections officers are frequently forced to work mandatory 16-hour shifts, leading to high stress, morale problems and more confrontations with prisoners.
The Department of Corrections currently employsroughly 5,500 officers to oversee nearly 33,000 felons across 26 facilities. Nearly half of these prisons are experiencing staff vacancy rates exceeding 20%, with five facilities facing vacancy rates over 30%, according to the MCO.
