Roundtable discusses ways to improve working conditions for federal corrections officers

Sep. 21—SCRANTON — Unions representing corrections officers and others advocating for the officers asked lawmakers and the Federal Bureau of Prisons to keep those working in federal prisons safe during a roundtable discussion Wednesday evening.

Members of Voices of JOE, which honors prison officers killed in the line of duty, and representatives for state Sen. Marty Flynn, Sen. Bob Casey and U.S. Reps. Matt Cartwright and Dan Meuser agreed laws screening mail, programs to keep prisoners under control and improved staffing would help corrections officers in federal prisons do their jobs better.

Many of the participants expressed outrage over drugs brought through the mail into federal prisons. Voices of JOE President Don Williams, who moderated the roundtable, said Congress sponsored a pilot program mandating it be sorted at an off-site facility, but stopped funding it. The group urged those in attendance to support it.

David Demas, president of the union representing corrections officers at USP-Canaan, said drugs brought in, including fentanyl, makes prison staff sick.

"This is something that can affect anyone," he said, adding officers at Canaan regularly encounter them.

A mail screening program would screen 99% of mail for contaminants, Demas said.

Several participants said programs on the state and county level have been effective.

Lackawanna County Judge Frank Ruggiero said mail screening at the county prison has helped curb incoming contraband.

Participants called for programs to control inmates, including more special housing units, which Williams said keep violent inmates out of the general population. Williams said the bureau needs stricter consequences for inmates who commit infractions. He said leniency led to his son, Officer Eric Williams, being killed by an inmate while on duty at Canaan in 2013.

"We're enabling a lot of the behavior," he said.

Several spoke out against proposed bills in the state Legislature that would reduce the use of restrictive housing units.

John Eckenrode, president of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association, said discipline helps inmates during their time in prison and reduces recidivism.

He added with less use of restrictive housing units, those in the LGBTQ+ community and pregnant women suffer mentally, and inmates and officers are more at risk for violence.

"It puts us at risk to be hurt," he said. "It's dangerous."

Eckenrode also advocated for using pepper spray and restraint chairs for inmates. He emphasized that officers watch inmates in the chairs and restrictive housing units, and they receive mental health treatment.

Demas, in an open letter last month, called on the federal Bureau of Prisons to reinstate the units.

Darrell Palmer, former regional vice president for the Council of Prison Locals C-33, said more staffing is needed as it takes away time to respond to an incident, adding the bureau is lucky to hire five or six officers on a given day and needs to focus on hiring. He said USP-Canaan is supposed to have 248 officers but is short by 21.

"They hold up the place," Palmer said.

Stephanie Waters, Voices of JOE treasurer and vice president of non-custody at FCI-Allenwood, said being properly staffed helps prisons operate effectively and reduces recidivism.

Palmer said more incentives are needed to retain staff, including better pay.

"You could make more at Amazon," he said.

Donald Murphy, spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons, declined to comment on the discussion but said the bureau takes its duty to protect prisoners seriously, and keep officers and the community safe.

"We make every effort to ensure the safety of individuals confined to our facilities through a controlled environment that is secure and humane," he said.

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