MOUNT PLEASANT, MI— Tensions in state prisons across the Upper Peninsula are continuing to escalate as corrections officers call for relief amid a staffing crisis, but the lack of workers is also taking a toll on inmates.
In order for prisoners to qualify for parole, they must complete a certain number of programs. Those courses include anger management and substance abuse education. The shortage of corrections officers has not only delayed those programs in some prisons, but also affected family visits, medical care and time spent outdoors.
Jack Wagner is the President of Michigan Justice Advocacy, a group that lobbies for prison reform. "The system is supposed to be trying to rehabilitate people, right? And instead, what we're seeing is less and less programming and intervention and help for those that are incarcerated," he says.
Wagner says one path forward is to reduce the number of people being sent to prison. That would, in turn, provide officers with safer staffing ratios.
The Michigan Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to a request for comment.