SAFETY FIRST
For many years, I oversaw an inpatient program for drug addicted adolescents, the majority of them having criminal records and being court ordered into treatment. When developing and implementing such a program, the number one consideration was SAFETY. The second, of course, was TRUST. You cannot run an institution in any kind of predictable manner when the patients do not feel safe. It is the lack of feeling safe that will lead to increased anxiety within the population, and this will inevitably result in increased acting out. This need for safety not only applies to the patients, but also to the staff. A staff cannot function properly and carry out their mission if they do not feel safe. The patients needed to feel safe, and they needed to trust the staff to provide that safety environment.
Admittedly, the rehabilitation center where I worked as a Vice President of Adolescent Treatment was only a small entity comparted to the size of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. However, when dealing with people who are contained within four walls and are dependent upon staff for all their needs, the same principles apply. There are inmates who become subjected to more predatory and violent individuals, and these inmates need to be able to function in a safe environment. Again, it is the staff that provide that safety. But consider, how can a staff provide safety from predatory and violent inmates when they themselves are placed in a situation that is highly unsafe for them.
From what I have observed since my involvement following my son Eric’s murder at USP Canaan, is there are two factors that take away from the safety of the BOP prisons, both for staff and inmates.
1. The entire system is pathetically understaffed. The staff is overworked, over stressed, and trying to operate without enough manpower to properly address their mission. The incentive to remain is rapidly disappearing. Nobody wants to take a job that does not pay well and where they are at high risk for injury or death.
2. There is an increased leaning toward minimizing or avoiding consequences for behavior. This lack of accountability allows negative behavior to run rampant and for safety to go out the window. The few tools the corrections officers have, such as SHU, are being threatened with removal. This leads to a lack of predictability of behaviors, which then leads to a lack of safety.
What must happen? It’s a no-brainer. HIRE ENOUGH STAFF AND PAY THE STAFF APPROPRIATELY. START HOLDING INMATES ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR BEHAVIOR, AND ALLOW THEM THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIONS.
