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 22, 2026
Inside N.J.’s prison staffing crisis
New Jersey state prisons recorded 838 assaults on staff last year — more than double the state’s own benchmark — as chronic staffing shortages and mandatory overtime strain officers and facilities statewide. "It’s the worst I’ve ever seen in 35 years," said Andy Potter, executive director of One Voice United, a national advocacy group for corrections officers. The view down the hall in a Restorative Housing Unit at Northern State Prison as seen on April 4, 2024. The number of corrections officers nationwide fell by about 20% between 2017 and 2022, according to data from the Safer Prisons, Safer Communities campaign.
Read ArticleJanuary 20, 2026
Recurring failures' in CT prison system threaten health, safety of inmates and staff, report says
The state Department of Correction is seeing "recurring failures" affecting conditions of confinement, including unsanitary conditions, repeated lockdowns used to deal with staff shortages, and delayed medical care, according to a report issued by the corrections ombudsman Tuesday.
Read ArticleJanuary 20, 2026
CT correction ombuds details ‘institutional failure’ in prison conditions report
A report released Tuesday by the Correction Ombuds DeVaughn Ward on the conditions of Connecticut’s state correctional facilities concluded that the system is “operating in a state of sustained institutional failure.”
The 2025 Conditions of Confinement report examined several aspects of prison life, from food service to technology to medical care. The report described unsanitary conditions — like rodents, black mold and sewage backups — as well as delays in necessary medical care and staffing shortages that regularly confined incarcerated people to their cells.
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