Thursday, March 27, 2014
COLUMBUS (AP) — The union representing Ohio prison guards wants an extra 400 officers to combat what it calls a sharp increase in the number of serious assaults by inmates on staff.
The union says an upcoming state budget proposal of 89 officers at three individual prisons is not enough and will lead to more injuries and added workers’ comp and overtime costs.
The Ohio Civil Service Employees Association said today the major assault rate has hit a 7-year high even as nearly 850 guard positions have been cut.
Guard Monica Meade said she was off work for three months last year after an inmate at Trumbull Correctional Institution in Leavittsburg punched her after threatening to throw her off a second-floor balcony.
A message was left with the state Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.