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 15, 2026
Bipartisan bill proposes 35% pay increase for federal correctional officers
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation that would significantly raise pay for federal correctional officers as the Bureau of Prisons continues to grapple with chronic staffing shortages and heavy reliance on mandatory overtime.
The Federal Correctional Officer Paycheck Protection Act, introduced in January by U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and David McCormick (R-Pa.), would establish a 35% increase to base pay for federal correctional officers nationwide, using a statutory rate tied to the General Schedule.
Supporters of the bill say the pay increase is intended to improve recruitment and retention at federal prisons, where staffing shortages have led to officer burnout, excessive overtime, and safety concerns for both staff and incarcerated individuals.
Read ArticleJanuary 15, 2026
Budget stalemate contributes to ‘dire’ conditions in NC prisons, agency leader says
The head of North Carolina’s prison system sounded the alarm at a legislative committee meeting Thursday about dangerous conditions created by lack of staff, a problem exacerbated by the failure of state lawmakers to approve raises for correctional workers.
“Our staffing situation is dire and it’s dangerous,” said Leslie Cooley Dismukes, secretary of the state Department of Adult Correction. “Dangerous to my staff, dangerous to the people in my custody, and dangerous to the people of North Carolina.”
The state doesn’t pay enough to attract enough correctional officers, she said.
Read ArticleJanuary 14, 2026
Two Nevada rural prisons have ‘critical labor shortage,’ state determines
Two rural Nevada prisons were designated as having a “critical labor shortage” amid continued struggles in recruiting correctional officers and physicians that result in major prisoner health issues being treated off-site.
The Tuesday decision from the state Board of Examiners — consisting of the governor, attorney general and secretary of state — will allow Ely State Prison and Lovelock Correctional Center to bring back retired state workers to fill the vacant positions through the end of June. They could receive retirement income on top of their new salary because of the labor shortage label.
It’s the second time in as many years that the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) has requested the “critical labor shortage” designation. For the first half of 2025, the entire state prison system was under the label for correctional officer positions. Rural prisons also had the designation from 2018 to 2022.
Staffing shortages across state prisons helped cause a $53 million budget deficit last year because of spiraling overtime costs.
Read Article