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| Colo. Prison Put on Lockdown After Inmate Protest |
| By Rocky Mountain News |
| Published: 07/02/2003 |
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About 1,100 inmates at the Sterling Correctional Facility were forced into lockdown Tuesday after several dozen prisoners protested massive cuts to their daily wages by refusing to work. The lockdown, which affected nearly half the prison population, took effect after 60 inmate food service workers told correctional officers they would not prepare breakfast, said Alison Morgan, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Corrections. Inmates were required to remain in their cells around the clock and served cold meals as a result of the restrictions, which were expected to last through the night. None of the state's 25 other prisons reported problems, Morgan said. Corrections officials had informed inmates that they face possible disciplinary action, including charges of inciting a disturbance, if they refuse to work. The prisons also conducted emergency drills in anticipation of potential unrest, and Morgan postponed all tours and inmate interviews for the next couple of weeks. 'We have prepared for inmate reaction. Our staff is always on alert,' Morgan said. The Sterling protest came within hours of the implementation of a new pay scale that cuts some inmates' daily wages by as much as 70 percent. The cuts were mandated by the state legislature in an effort to carve $54 million from the corrections budget. The inmate pay reductions save the state $1.4 million. As a result of the decreases, prison officials abandoned a five-tier system that used to pay inmates between 40 cents and $2 a day. The average wage was roughly 85 cents a day, but skilled laborers, including those who build furniture for state offices and sew prison uniforms, earned more, Morgan said. As of Tuesday, all working inmates earn 60 cents a day. Inmates who do not work are paid 23 cents. Nearly 95 percent of the 17,000 prisoners in state facilities work, Morgan said. Inmates are required to use up to 20 percent of their earnings and contributions from their families for restitution and child support. The remaining money goes toward purchases from the prison canteen, including mandatory hygiene products, such as soap, sanitary supplies and deodorant. Under the new system, it will take inmates nearly six days of work to afford a brand-name bottle of shampoo, four days for a bag of potato chips and 59 days for religious items, such as the Star of David, a crucifix or an Allah pendant. Morgan said there is no plan to lower canteen prices. Inmate rights advocates criticized the cost-cutting measures. 'A lot of pride is associated with the work these inmates do and the money they earn,' said Kara Gotsch, public policy coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project in Washington, D.C. 'There is no reason you shouldn't have employment opportunities on the inside just as you do on the outside. These prisoners are providing a service. We shouldn't be condoning slave labor.' |
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