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
December 18, 2025
Outside study paints damning picture of staffing at Nevada prisons
Nevada’s prison system has a “staffing crisis” that is leading to worsening conditions for incarcerated people, skyrocketing overtime costs and declining morale among employees, according to a third-party study conducted earlier this year.
In a more than 230-page report completed in late June, which The Nevada Independent received through a public records request and has not been previously published, outside analysts from Corrections Consulting Services uncovered a lack of supervisors on duty at night, possible lapses in compliance with federal requirements to reduce prison sexual assaults and yearslong waits to resolve prisoner grievances, among other issues it said were detrimental to staff and prisoner safety.
Read ArticleDecember 16, 2025
Georgia prison population rising as staffing shortages persist, commissioner says
Georgia’s prison population has grown steadily over the past few years and is expected to continue increasing, even as state leaders acknowledge ongoing staffing shortages across the prison system.
While recruitment is moving in the right direction, Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Tyrone Oliver has acknowledged that retention remains a challenge. He told state representatives that experience levels among officers have dropped significantly. He said nearly two-thirds of correctional officers now have less than three years on the job, compared with about two decades ago, when most officers had more experience.
Read ArticleDecember 15, 2025
Prison officers blame understaffing for violence behind bars
Virginia recently admitted more than a quarter of jobs for correctional officers are open, and in some facilities the staffing shortage is even worse.
Wardens have responded with extensive lockdowns – preventing prisoners from having visits with loved ones, attending classes, getting recreation or going to jobs.
"When you just go on full lockdown, people think that creates a safer environment. It really doesn’t!" says Charles Craddock, president of the National Coalition of Safety Officers in Virginia. "It drives mental health issues through the roof, assaults through the roof. It’s like a ticking time bomb."
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