The state corrections officers union says members “will no longer go out” into prison industry areas when they’re short-staffed, prompted by the killing of Officer Joseph Gomm in one of the shops at Stillwater Prison. Union policy committee president John Hillyard says, “We recognize the need for inmate programming, but not at the expense of the safety of our correctional workers.” State corrections officials haven’t commented, but Commissioner Tom Roy late last week defended the vocational programs, saying “our mission is to make people better.” “The record of incidents involving tools is low, and it is a system that will never be absent of risk,” says Roy, who contends it’s necessary for state corrections to meet its mission.
The state corrections officers union also is demanding Minnesota prisons return to their previous inmate discipline policy. Hillyard points to four attempted murders since March at maximum-security Oak Park Heights. “We believe the new isolation policy is creating an unsafe environment for correctional officers, and the rising number of assaults unfortunately proves it,” he says. State corrections officials respond the new inmate discipline policy is an open-ended process that allows for the most serious offenders to remain in a restricted environment if they are non-compliant or display assaultive behavior.
Excerpt from union members’ Wednesday afternoon news conference: