SEPTEMBER 20, 2023 ROUNDTABLE AGENDA

The roundtable event being conducted on Wednesday, September 20, 2012 in Scranton will focus on three specific issues:

1. Contaminated mail - There has been an increase in the incidents of contaminated mail entering our Federal Prison facilities. This has resulted in hospitalizations of corrections officers and an increased in drug induced violent behavior on the part of inmates. The Federal Cureau of Prisons never renewed the pilot program which was having a positive impact on this problem.

2. Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and also in the State Senate in Harrisburg to do away with the major behavioral management tools in both our Federal and State prisons. The Federal legislation wants to take away Special Housing Units for inmates who need to be removed from general population for disciplinary and safety reasons. In our Pa. State Senate, SB880 and SB881 would also remove such confinement of inmates as well as taking away pepper spray. Unacceptable.

3. The House appropriations under the chairmanship of Congressman Cartwright had appropriated an additional 180 million dollars for the hiring of corrections officers in the Federal BOP. The staffing crisis continues, augmentation and mandated time is still being used, and staffing shortages are at crisis levels. What happened to that money?

Voices of JOE will update you on what progress is made at the roundtable.