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
January 29, 2026
Alabama prisons add record number of officers but still well short of court-ordered goal
Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said Thursday the state is making progress toward fixing a long-time severe shortage of security staff.
Hamm said the ADOC has a security staff of about 2,300 employees. He said staffing has improved since substantial pay raises in 2023. The raises boosted starting pay to more than $50,000, with the potential to earn $15,000 to $20,000 more within a couple of years.
Read ArticleJanuary 29, 2026
New York's prison strike has $1 billion tab – and climbing
New York’s total bill to post the National Guard in prisons — a response to last year’s corrections officers strike — is set to swell past $1 billion, officials said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed budget includes another $535 million to keep troops in the state prison system. That’s on top of $700 million that the state says it is spending on the deployment through the end of March, Budget Director Blake Washington said.
The proposed expenditure shows the prisons’ ongoing staffing issues,, which were exacerbated by a three-week wildcat strike that began last February. The continued expense of the Guard is also fueling the partisan divide over what to do about persistent staffing shortages in the state’s 42 prisons.
Read ArticleJanuary 29, 2026
Projected $1.2 Billion Bill for National Guard in NY Prisons Ignites Policy Debate
New York State's decision to use the National Guard to staff prisons following last year's correction officers strike is projected to cost more than $1.2 billion by 2027, a financial strain that continues to stir debate over the management and direction of the state's correctional system.
Beyond the raw numbers, state officials and advocates are wrestling with long-term solutions to the staffing crisis. Colorado’s prisons are expected to surpass their capacity for male inmates in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, as discretionary parole has decreased.
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