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| Prison reform still lacking |
| By thetimes-tribune.com - Michael R. Sisak |
| Published: 11/11/2013 |
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They work alongside violent inmates in kitchens, corridors and housing units. They face rampant hostility and physical attack. And they are often the first to respond when a correctional officer calls for help. Yet, despite the promise of enhanced safety and the extensive training they received after a fatal assault at the U.S. Penitentiary at Canaan in February, thousands of workers at high-security federal prisons have been excluded from carrying pepper spray - an inexpensive tool union officials said has reduced violence and saved lives. Darrell Palmer, the president of the union at Canaan, said last week he assumed the Bureau of Prisons would include all of the facility's employees when it expanded its pepper spray program just three days after an inmate ambushed and killed officer Eric Williams, a Nanticoke native who was working alone in a unit housing more than 100 inmates. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, unaware that certain workers were excluded from the program until a recent meeting with Officer Williams' parents, sent a letter to Bureau of Prisons Director Charles E. Samuels Jr. demanding an explanation for the limited pepper spray authorization. "The majority of officers at USP Canaan have not been issued pepper spray," Mr. Casey wrote. "This omission is concerning as it leaves many correctional officers unprotected who regularly interact with inmates and respond to incidents as they arise." Mr. Casey's press secretary, John Rizzo, said Friday that Senate hearings "may be necessary" to determine how the pepper spray program is being implemented. Mr. Casey, he said, "wants to better understand the rationale behind limiting this life-saving tool to select posts" and is "deeply troubled" by the limitations imposed by the Bureau of Prisons. Read More. |
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