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
August 26, 2025
As Oklahoma Prisons Embrace AI, Critics Warn of Risks
Bobby Cleveland, a former state representative and executive director of the Oklahoma Corrections Professionals group, said he doesn’t doubt that drones and more cameras could assist prison staff. But he said the technology won’t alleviate a prison staffing shortage that’s been linked to violence at multiple facilities.
“Who’s going to look at those cameras?” Cleveland said. “It can’t do it all on its own.”
Oklahoma’s correctional staffing levels dropped 7.6% from June 2021 to June 2025, according to budget documents presented to the Board of Corrections. The Department of Corrections reported having funding to fill nearly 300 vacant correctional officer positions
Read ArticleAugust 21, 2025
(Opinion) Most Texas prisons still lack AC — and it's costing people their lives
Another Texas summer is here, and once again, tens of thousands of people incarcerated in Texas prisons are sweltering, and some are dying, because they’re denied the necessity of air conditioning.
Let that sink in: In 2025, in the United States, people are dying preventable deaths because they’re trapped in sometimes 100-degree concrete boxes with no relief. This is not a fluke. It is the result of repeated, deliberate choices by Texas lawmakers and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to ignore both human suffering and constitutional law.
More than 88,000 people in Texas prisons currently live without air conditioning. That means two-thirds of the state’s incarcerated population are enduring life-threatening heat in facilities that routinely register indoor temperatures well above 90 degrees.
Read ArticleAugust 20, 2025
Extreme heat in prisons brings more legal challenges, pressure on states
Summer heat is bearing down on U.S. prisons, where temperatures in uncooled cells can climb well into the triple digits.
Facing growing pressure from advocacy groups, lawsuits and climate projections that show hotter days ahead, some state prison systems are moving to install air conditioning and expand cooling measures — though many facilities remain years away from significant upgrades.
But in other states, such efforts have stalled or failed. That may lead to more lawsuits in the future, experts say, even as judges may raise the bar for such cases.
An emphasis on being “tough on crime” and prioritizing other public safety measures may have contributed to less attention on prison conditions in some states. In others, slowing revenue growth and pressure to rein in corrections spending could be making new investments a harder sell.
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