We are in the midst of a profound crisis in our nation’s correctional system.
Across the country, our nation’s prisons are dangerously understaffed and overcrowded.
Policymakers must act now to protect the health and safety of correctional staff, incarcerated people, and the public at large.
Prisons across the country are dangerously understaffed, overcrowded, and plagued by rapidly deteriorating conditions.
One Voice United (OVU) and FAMM, two leading organizations representing correctional staff (OVU) and incarcerated people and their families (FAMM), have joined together to form the Safer Prisons, Safer Communities campaign.
For too long, our constituencies have been pitted against one another while the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, friends, and loved ones has suffered. While it may be surprising to some people that we would work together to draw attention to this crisis, we know our fates are intertwined and we have a shared goal of ensuring the health and safety of everyone who works and lives in prison.
EndorseFor too long, our constituencies have been pitted against one another while the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, friends, and loved ones has suffered. While it may be surprising to some people that we would work together to draw attention to this crisis, we know our fates are intertwined and we have a shared goal of ensuring the health and safety of everyone who works and lives in prison.
SAFER PRISONS SAFER COMMUNITIES
In The News
March 29, 2025
Corrections officers graduate, help fill shortage at Michigan prisons
224 new officers graduated from the Michigan Department of Corrections training academy Friday.
The graduates will help the state address a shortage of corrections officers at Michigan prisons. They’ll be placed at facilities across the state to reduce current vacancies.
Read ArticleMarch 28, 2025
Former correction officers call for increased safety at prisons
It’s been a little over two weeks since the correction officer strike ended. It resulted in more than 2,000 officers being terminated. Some of those officers were at the New York State Capitol on Thursday, continuing to bring attention to unsafe working conditions at state prisons.
Read ArticleMarch 28, 2025
Bureau Of Prisons Is ‘Rudderless’ Operation, Says Former Director
On Jan. 20, 2025, former Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters was dismissed and has since filed a challenge with the Merit Systems Protection Board over her termination. In a subsequent statement, Peters described the BOP as a “rudderless” organization without her leadership.
Shortly after her dismissal, William Lathrop was named Acting Director, but he retired on Feb. 28, 2025, leaving the agency leaderless. According to a BOP source, there is currently no acting director, but Kathleen Toomey, who recently testified before the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, appears to be the highest-ranking official at the agency.
The BOP has many challenges and the Office of Inspector General, long a thorn in the BOP’s side, has a dedicated page to the challenges the agency faces. A common theme in these reports relates to staffing shortages that have plagued the BOP for years.
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