State Rep. Kathy Schmaltz today questioned why the governor and Democrats in the Legislature did not include money in the new state budget to offer relief to corrections officers and wardens and help attract new officers.

The staffing shortage in Michigan prisons has already reached a critical level, and Schmaltz (R-Jackson) said cuts in the new budget could exacerbate the problem, putting all of us at risk.

The state budget recently approved by the Legislature eliminates a $12 million program established to help improve staff recruitment and retention efforts within the Michigan Department of Corrections. This is one of several concerning cuts in the budget, which Schmaltz voted against.

“Our corrections officers are enduring unbearable working conditions, often being forced to work mandatory overtime multiple times a week,” Schmaltz said. “This budget cut will only worsen the staffing crisis, putting officers, inmates, and our communities in danger.”

Nearly half of Michigan’s 26 prisons have staff vacancy rates that exceed 20%, with five facilities facing vacancy rates of more than 30%, according to the Michigan Corrections Organization (MCO), the union representing Michigan’s corrections officers. As a result, corrections officers say they are frequently forced to work mandatory 16-hour shifts.

MCO President Byron Osborn describes dangerous working conditions, including unsafe prisoner-to-officer ratios, demoralizing mandatory overtime requirements, and lax prisoner discipline policies.

In a recent plea, the MCO called on the governor to activate the Michigan National Guard to address the hazardous working conditions. Gov. Whitmer has yet to acknowledge the request. Meanwhile, the governor is soon expected to sign the new budget, which eliminates the $12 million program offering signing and retention bonuses to help address the prison staffing shortage.

“The governor and the Democrats have to get their priorities straight,” Schmaltz said. “Their budget decisions and inaction have put our corrections officers and our wardens in dangerous situations and created a public safety issue. There should be money in the state budget for recruitment and retention bonuses for corrections officers, but they removed it. There are proposals pending in the House and Senate to improve their retirement plans so we can keep and attract more officers. We need to take action on those.

“I represent one of the largest prison facilities in the state, and I hear from corrections officers and other employees frequently about the lack of resources to hire new officers, staffing shortages, lack of pensions, and mandatory overtime. We need to help our corrections officers and wardens. We have waited too long, the situation is critical, and we have to act now.”

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