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 26, 2025
Efforts to boost VA recruitment and promote BOP mental health get another push from House members
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, reintroduced legislation on Monday to provide Bureau of Prisons employees with mental health screenings and referrals for mental health care.
The Corrections Officer Blake Schwarz Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 2305) follows Miller-Meek’s 2024 version of legislation to establish grant programs funding mental health screenings for corrections officers at federal prisons and other facilities.
Read ArticleMarch 21, 2025
Georgia allocates $250M to tackle prison neglect and violence
In response to a federal investigation, Georgia lawmakers have approved a substantial $250 million budget allocation as part of the 2026 state budget. This funding is earmarked for improving conditions in the state's prisons, specifically by hiring 700 new guards and increasing salaries for existing staff. The goal is to address the issues of violence and neglect that have plagued the correctional facilities.
Read ArticleMarch 13, 2025
Budgeting for safety: Georgia eyes $250M to tackle prison staffing and security crisis
Lawmakers are weighing how much money to send Georgia prisons to help fix pervasive problems with broken cell locks, guard shortages and contraband-carrying drones.
Budget writers in the Georgia Senate are considering a state spending plan for next fiscal year that would add an extra $250 million to the Department of Corrections’ roughly $1.5 billion budget.
That money would go toward hiring 700 more guards, modest salary raises and facility repairs to the state’s 34 prisons, many of which face severe security breaches after decades of deferred maintenance.
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