Understaffed, Unsafe, Unacceptable

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

At a recent legislative hearing on unsafe conditions in Maryland prisons, one of the chronic causes — understaffing — again raised its head. A witness testified that, at the state's Eastern Correctional Institution, the number of lieutenants had dropped to 27 from 46 in 2003. The number of COs of all ranks has fallen by almost 10 percent.

Meanwhile, the state's inmate population grew — from 23,302 in 2001 to an estimated 24,590 this year.

A department spokesman told The Baltimore Sun, "We believe these are the appropriate staffing levels." Eastern Correctional Lt. Aubrey Fletcher suffered serious head injuries during an inmate's attack in 2004, and he knows otherwise. "The people in headquarters don't care," Fletcher says, "because they don't have to walk the tiers."

His union, Local 3478 of Council 92, has been trying to increase pressure on Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R) to boost funding for safety improvements. The governor has the exclusive authority to hike the corrections budget. "We've been battling the administration in hearings," says Ronnie Bailey, the council's executive director. The governor and other officials have "refused to meet with us to discuss these issues."